The Opal 'Blades
by beybladeboy
Summary: After Kai, Ray, Max and Kenny disappear in mysterious circumstances, Tyson sets off to rescue them. Little does he realise as he sets off that he will soon discover the power of the mysterious 'Opal Beyblades' which will have far reaching consequences...
1. Chapter 1

The Opal 'Blades: A Beyblade story by 'beybladeboy'

Chapter One

The air was thick with static and would have choked anyone that passed through it who wasn't determined to proceed. The sky was dark save for the occasionally bolt of lightning that lit the cloud-filled sky up as if it was day for a fraction of a second. The thunder rolled across the sky, completing the atmosphere of mystery and dread. It was not a good night for anyone to be out; the rain had been battering down on the ground constantly for near-on fifteen minutes. But there was one individual making their way through the valley; a sixteen year old teenager with thick dark hair with a blue baseball cap wedged over it. His jacket was dark red; his jeans blue. His look was completed with a pair of red trainers with a white dash along each side. His name was Tyson and he was looking for his friends.

'I know you're here!' he bellowed, his mouth twisted in angst and his brow furrowed. His left hand was stuck firmly in his left pocket, holding tightly onto his beyblade. There was no reply to his statement so he just continued to walk, the soil of the valley floor quickly turning to mud and consuming his shoes. Tyson's walk quickly became laboured and heavy and it took an inordinate amount of energy just to get him further down the pathway.

Tyson glanced up to the trees that lined the top of the valley. Each one looked like a figure with huge sprawling arms and frowning eyes. The lightning would strike behind them and make them seem to move toward him. A shiver ran down his spine and to the back of his legs but he shook this sensation off; he had to be strong for himself and for his friends. Tyson was already cold anyway as the rain battered down on his shoulders and ran cold down his back; his hair was losing its rigidity and flopping down in front of his face. A swift movement of his spare arm pushed it back over his forehead but it did little good. He just continued walking through the muddy valley, pulling his feet up sharply and muttering under his breath hoping that whoever he was coming to meet would show themselves sooner rather than later. Tyson's body began going into autopilot as he walked and soon his mind drifted back to how he'd ended up in this situation. It had all began on the previous day at about ten in the morning. It had been sunny and the air crisp; he had been happy.

Tyson, dressed in his usual clothes which shimmered in the sunlight, was seen by everyone to be catapulting through the streets with a wide smile on his face. He had just won a beyblade battle with one of the many challengers that roamed the streets and he felt good about it. He wanted to find one of his friends to boast about the battle and felt that Kenny would be the perfect one to sit opposite him, amazed by the tale of battle. 'Who wouldn't want to hear about my exploits?' Tyson questioned to himself, still buzzing from the battle.

It wasn't long before Tyson reached Kenny's home and was knocking on the door. He stood back and looked up at the second floor window before his gaze returned to the front door. There was no response so he tapped again only this time it was louder and heavier. There was still no reply. Tyson dropped down from the doorstep and made his way around the building looking for any sign of life but, aside from the odd bird fluttering about in the trees, there was very little movement. Even the wind had dropped. In fact, Tyson noticed a peculiar chill in the air that, in his excitement, he hadn't spotted. He shivered as he walked around to the back door, pulling his jacket up to his neck in the hope of warding off the cold.

Tyson knocked on the back door but, again, there was no response. He tried the handle and found the door to be open so, slowly, he pushed the door and entered the kitchen.

'Kenny?' he asked, his voice rising into a question as he sneaked a look around the kitchen for a sign of anyone though feeling apprehensive about entering the house. There was still no reply so Tyson slipped further into the kitchen, closing the door as he did so, and passed into the hall. The house was eerily quiet and a repeat of 'Kenny' still failed to elicit any type of response. Tyson was puzzled; he hadn't heard from Kenny in a couple of days and it was so unlike him to go somewhere without telling Tyson. Tyson made it his mission to know the movement of his friends but now felt mysteriously cut off from his friendship circle. He began to climb the stairs.

Pushing open Kenny's bedroom door, having already knocked and spoken and come to the conclusion it was empty, Tyson looked concerned. It was an unusual situation for someone to find themselves in, looking for a friend only to find their house open and empty. Tyson entered the room and let out a gasp at what he saw. The usual tidiness of his room had been abandoned for a mess of stacked papers, open drawers and a hastily made bed. It looked as if some sort of mini-tornado had entered the room, sucked up all of Kenny's belongings and deposited them at random points in the room. Tyson removed his cap and scratched his head with his other hand as if this action would bring some sort of answer into his head. He just looked around and tried to make sense of the situation, but there was none. At least one thing did pop into his head as he walked carefully by the bed to see the drawers of Kenny's desk opened and rifled.

'Dizzi!' he muttered under his breath, glancing around the room and trying to spot Kenny's valuable laptop. 'Maybe it's in his hiding place.'

Kenny had told Tyson several weeks earlier that he'd created a secret hide-hole for his laptop after receiving a strange letter through the post. Inside the crisp white envelope had been a neatly hand-written letter advising Kenny that he could sell his laptop – and all the knowledge it contained – for a considerable sum of money to the stranger mentioned at the end of the letter, referred to only as 'X'. Kenny had naturally refused – his laptop, with bit-beast Dizzi inside, was not only a piece of hardware but a friend. A good friend. He had promptly crumpled up the letter in front of Tyson and thrown it half-heartedly into the nearest waste bin. Kenny had thought no more about the letter, only for a second – and third – to be delivered in subsequent days, each one written in harsher language and messier handwriting. This had caused him to go to drastic lengths to save his laptop from any thefts and create a secret hide-hole for it which only him, and Tyson, knew about.

Tyson dropped to his knees in the bedroom and crawled along the floor, his hands moving over the carpet in front of him until the tips of his fingers came across a slight ridge under the carpet. Tyson pushed down on this and there was a subtle electronic bleep which triggered off movement in the wall of the room. Tyson lifted himself to his feet, brushed down his trousers, and walked casually over to one of the walls where a small recess had opened up. His heart racing, Tyson pushed his hand into the hole and his fingers came across the cold metal of Kenny's laptop; a smile of relief passed across his face – his eyes closing momentarily. Tyson removed the laptop from the hole and, as he did, the recess sealed. Whoever had entered the room had failed to find the laptop and therefore failed to discover the data held within its microchips.

Tyson gently lowered himself onto the edge of Kenny's bed, not making much impact on the already untidy duvet, and carefully opened up the laptop. It booted into life and Dizzi's voice filled the air.

'Tyson!' she exclaimed, her voice shrill. 'Your hands are cold.'

Tyson rolled his eyes, biting his lip as he did so to prevent him from replying in a harsh way. He let himself pause for a few moments to come up with an answer.

'Nice to see you too Dizzi. Now what's happened here? Where's Kenny?'

'I don't know,' she replied flatly, her voice somewhat deflated. 'I think he's been kidnapped.'

'You know nothing of what happened here?' he asked, once more glancing around the disturbed room. 'You must have heard something.'

'All I know is that late yesterday, Kenny and I were in here discussing some fresh data when there was a noise from downstairs. Kenny went to investigate – I think he only went as far as the upstairs landing – before rushing in and, without explanation, promptly activated the secret compartment and thrust me into the hole.'

Tyson nodded.

'I felt it was very rude of him. He just closed me up without a word and put me in that cold hole with not even a 'goodnight'.'

If Dizzi had been a human sitting next to Tyson he felt she would now be sulking with her arms crossed and her face in a pout.

'But did you hear anything after that?'

'Well there's not much else to do trapped in a dark compartment but listen.'

Tyson was growing impatient.

'Come on Dizzi. This could be important. What happened?'

'Well,' she said, her voice becoming more and more petulant as the syllables left the laptop speakers, 'I heard footsteps coming up the stairs and then cross into this room. Kenny was shouting at whoever it was, telling them to get out and leave him alone. I think he mentioned something about selling something but I can't be sure. It was all very muffled. Plus I couldn't help thinking how cold I was and how I was miserable and…'

'OK,' Tyson blurted out in an attempt to stem the tide of self-pitying words, 'What happened next?'

Dizzi didn't reply for a few moments; her sulk was getting worse and Tyson was not helping by being less than sympathetic to her cause. She did reply though in time.

'Well there was a scuffle and some shouting and then it all went silent. The footsteps went away and then returned about five minutes later. I can't tell how long as it was dark and I was disorientated and…' Dizzi spotted the frown on Tyson's face and returned to the main thread of her story. 'There was then a lot of noise as drawers were opened and objects moved. I could hear them squeaking on the floor. The figure even came near to the compartment; I could hear their breath on the wall. But they obviously didn't find what he was looking for; the footsteps went away and didn't return. Then the next thing I know you arrive.'

'Thanks Dizzi.'

'Now could you put me on charge? I'm running low here.'

'Sure,' Tyson said, smiling. He went over to a drawer and pulled out a charger. But before he could initiate the charging process, Dizzi said one more thing to him.

'Oh yes,' she said, as if adding a 'PS' to a letter. 'Whoever did come into the room was extremely powerful. I could feel their energy even in the compartment. Even I could feel the static, and I'm a laptop.'

Tyson's brow furrowed once more and the cogs in his brain began ticking over. A really powerful being? He didn't like the sound of that. And it was that statement that would shortly lead him into the muddy, wet and spooky valley that would bring about a conclusion that, at the point of charging up Dizzi, Tyson could not possibly have imagined…

To be continued…

Chapter Two

By now the rain was beating heavily down onto Tyson and the mud around his feet was getting thicker and thicker with each step. His hair, which usually stood proud and erect from his scalp, was reduced to a damp mess of dark strands that distorted his vision and clouded his judgement. His clothes were heavy and stuck to his body and his boots felt like two weights attached awkwardly to his feet that didn't respond to the chemical triggers in his head.

'Must… continue…' he mumbled to himself in the hope that the physical saying of the words would spur his body on further, but the mud and rain and thick atmosphere were proving a lot for the young Beyblader. There was only one thing spurring him on to continue and that was the power of friendship. Tyson hated to admit it to himself but he valued his friends. Though he often came across as brash, deep down he admired his friends and was grateful for their companionship. Now they were gone there was a gaping hole in his being. Tyson realised he had to get them back at any cost; they would be counting on him.

The last day or so was speeding through Tyson's head as he continued through the valley. From Kevin's house, having secured the laptop into his jacket pocket, Tyson has sped to the houses of his other friends for help. Firstly he had headed to Kai's house but he wasn't there. In one way Tyson was happy at this – he didn't really want to admit weakness to his greatest rival – but in another he feared rightly that Kai had also been captured by the same kidnapper that had snared Kevin. Visits to Max and Ray's houses had also proven unfruitful with no one answering his frantic knocks on their subsequent doors. Tyson had found himself stood in the shadow of Ray's house with his mind buzzing with questions and angst etched into his face. The void inside him was growing and the magnitude of the situation was also coming home. Tyson realised he now had a responsibility to face; a responsibility to find out who had taken his friends and why they had done this.

It was Dizzi that had helped him on the right track. She had led him from Ray's house, through the town and down towards the trees. Dizzi was following the huge amounts of energy that lined the main street, wrapped around each lamppost and stamped into every piece of street furniture. The static was incredible, distorting Dizzi's voice and causing her laptop screen to crackle and fuzz. Tyson tried his best to rectify this but even he was feeling the effects of the energy field. His hair crackled and his clothes built up an inordinate amount of static which discharged on his skin, much to Tyson's annoyance. Dizzi reassured him that everything would work out fine though as they walked Tyson could tell from the slight hollowness in her voice that even Dizzi was unsure that the outcome would be what they both hoped.

As they walked the sky darkened; thick clouds were moving swiftly across the sky, interlocking with clouds from the opposite direction and merging to form a swirling body of dark ominous matter. The first few drops of rain darkened the floor of the village which was slowly changing from tarmac and stone to mud and sticks. By the time Tyson had reached the edge of the trees the rain was already battering down and turning the stable wood floor into a bog-like mass of mud and water. Tyson's immaculate clothing was quickly becoming filthy and his appearance less than perfect. Even Dizzi complained about the weather, mumbling something about getting water in her circuits. The complaint wasn't too loud though; even as a computer she knew it wasn't the time or the place; she knew that having a moaning bit-beast was not going to help Tyson with whatever he had to do next.

Both man and bit-beast were hoping that the walking would end. Tyson had had it up to his head with the mud (though luckily it wasn't up to his head) and just wanted some resolution to the situation, though one wasn't forthcoming as the rain stepped up a gear as a fierce wind whipped up, blowing rain into his face and making his failing vision even poorer. Even Dizzi was having trouble getting her bearings of where exactly they were; the static was constantly building to a tremendous level which was reducing her effectiveness. Tyson was equally as troubled by it; his hair was now suffering from a mixture of static and water, a combination he wasn't happy with.

A fork of lightning hit the ground not much further ahead of the pair in the valley. Tyson swallowed hard but it stuck in his throat; his stomach was doing summersaults. He hadn't felt this nervous since he'd played his first ever Beyblade battle. Or tried to ask Akemi out for a pizza when he'd been at school. But the situation now was much more than a game or young love; this was real life and there was more to this than winning a Beyblade or accompanying the prettiest girl of the year to the nearest restaurant. Tyson's friends were missing and he knew he was the only answer to the mystery. At least he had Dizzi with him in the dark though he would have felt more confident if Dizzi was actually with him in person – a presence he could physically see and hold – and not just in the laptop but it was something he had to cope with. Cope with whether he liked it or not.

As the wind continued to howl around Tyson's ankles and the rain continued to batter at his face, he knew he had little choice but to continue, but at least it wasn't for much longer. He was distracted from his course through the muddy valley by the sound of the thunder getting closer and closer; and then the lightning struck. In what was only a matter of half a second, a large bolt of lightning had descended from the heavens and struck one of the trees at the top of the valley, sending it rolling down the muddy slope and having it land only feet away from Tyson. He stumbled back in shock, dropping Kenny's laptop to the ground. Dizzi let out an exclamation of disgust as her home was coated in thick sludge. Tyson lifted himself from the ground, dusted himself off as best as he could, and retrieved the laptop from the floor below, saying sorry to Dusty as he did so. But he didn't have much time to get the few words of apology out; a figure had appeared before him.

It was difficult for Tyson to describe the figure even to himself. The electrical signals that passed from his eyes to his brains failed to grasp the shape ahead. Maybe it was the driving wind or rain that was forcing his eyeballs to remain half open; maybe it was exhaustion from the long walk; or maybe it was the immense static that was now bubbling all around, making the hair on Tyson's arms stand on end. It certainly wasn't fright causing that; well, at least that's what he was telling himself.

The figure, dressed in a dark black cloak and with a slight hunch, made the first move, seeming to float over the mud and up to the other side of the fallen tree. Tyson swallowed and prepared himself both mentally and physically, adopting a ninja style position that his granddad had taught him. How he wished he could just summon up the power of Dragoon to defeat the figure but for some reason his arms were frozen and would not move no matter how hard he tried to make them. All Tyson could do was watch the figure slowly creep up to him, its face concealed by a dark hood. It let out a menacing laugh, like some sort of stereotypical villain.

'W-who are you,' Tyson stuttered, feeling angry that he'd shown a sign of fear. But he was full of fear; he was in a dark valley with a thunderstorm happening overhead, his body being battered by the elements, static and fear, with nothing but an old tree trunk and a laptop stood between him and whatever it was that was now facing him. The figure didn't reply straight away, instead it floating majestically over the branch and up to Tyson. The static now was unbearable and Dizzi had decided enough was enough, temporarily shutting the laptop down to avoid the painful feeling that was hitting it. She would have joked that she was now truly Dizzi, but the situation did not call for any humour. Jokes were the last thing on Tyson's mind, though the figure he was facing seemed to be getting some humour from the situation as it let out another maniacal laugh. Then it spoke.

'You must be Tyson. I've heard a lot about you.'

'Really?' Tyson asked, his voice continuing to waver. 'I can't say the same about you.'

The figure laughed again.

'That's because no one has ever got to know me. Not that they would want to.'

'I want to get to know you,' Tyson said, the feeling beginning to return to his limbs, bringing with it his traditional bull-headedness. 'I want to know what possessed you to kidnap my friends.'

The figure laughed once more. Then he laughed again. He was finding something funny.

'Your friends. I kidnapped them because they refused to give in. I suppose that comes with the territory. You Beybladers are all the same. Full of yourself and all stubborn as mules. You should have heard the words coming from the three tall ones! But the kid with the glasses was the best; refusing to give me his laptop. He paid the price for his stubbornness, though I see you've kindly achieved what I didn't and got the laptop to me. Clearly Beyblading doesn't require much intelligence.'

It was now Tyson's turn to let out a sound, but it wasn't a laugh but a growl of anger.

'The only one without intelligence here is you.'

'And how do you figure that out little man?'

'Because you're picked a fight with me.'

'Picking a fight. With you. I could crush you with my fist. No. I'm here to challenge you fairly. To a Beyblade battle.'

Tyson suddenly felt overconfident. The figure had dragged him all the way out here to a muddy valley to challenge him to a Beyblade fight. Was he mad? Did he not realise how good Tyson had got recently?

'A Beyblade battle?' Tyson scoffed, his bubbling confidence once more returning. 'Is that it?'

'Well sort of,' the figure said in an off-hand manner. 'Except it is going to be a battle with one big difference.'

The figure began to gesture with his arms at the surrounding area. Tyson was puzzled by this: all he could see was the usual mud and trees that his eyes had been looking at for the past twenty minutes. There was nothing new.

'One thing you seem not to have noticed is what you are standing in. If you actually got a hair cut you could probably see better. You're standing in a rather large stadium. See the sloping slides that go all the way around? Imagine the trees were people rather than plants watching you prepare yourself. Welcome to the world's largest Beyblade stadium.'

'And…?' Tyson asked sarcastically. 'Am I supposed to be impressed?'

'Yes.' The figure said bluntly.

'Well I'm not. Though I would be impressed if you could give me my friends back.'

'Certainly. You'll be seeing your friends any moment. You see, you need something to go with the world's largest Beyblade stadium and that's the world's largest Beyblade… or make that three…'

Tyson was about to question the man's last statement but after only a few seconds he realised he didn't need to. The answer started off as a quiet rumbling which soon escalated into what Tyson could only describe as a mini-earthquake causing the 'stadium' to shake violently from side to side, almost throwing him off his feet and down to the muddy floor. It was a wonder that, with the escalating ferocity of the storm, that Tyson didn't lose his footing. It was only through a sense of determination that he didn't. He grit his teeth and stood firm, the laptop thrust underneath his arm; but his exterior calm belied an inner sense of panic which was only heightened when an object appeared, seen only in the corner of his eye, making Tyson jerk his head around. He could not believe what he was seeing.

Spinning at him from the top of the valley was the largest Beyblade he'd ever seen. His mind began calculating how big it actually was; it eventually settled on comparing it to the size of a large monster truck tyre except more metallic and spinning at a far faster rate, catapulting down into the valley and spinning violently around Tyson. The other man had taken advantage of Tyson's awe at the giant Beyblade to flee the scene to watch the action from high above.

Aside from the size, the giant Beyblade was the perfect replica of an ordinary 'blade. Tyson momentarily mused on the size of the rip-cord needed to have launched it but figured there would have been an alternative way of setting it off. He didn't have long to consider the logistics of the launch as the Beyblade was spinning precariously near him. Then it got worse. Another two entered the giant stadium from opposite sides, spinning round and round Tyson and, most worryingly, bouncing off each other and ricocheting in unpredictable and random directions. Tyson realised that being in the middle of a giant Beyblade battle was not the best place to be. He looked up at the figure on high who he now saw was smirking.

'Get yourself out of this one,' he laughed viciously, 'or join your friends. Good luck my friend. Good luck!'

Tyson looked away, down to the laptop and across to the Beyblades and swallowed hard. For one of the only times in his life he was speechless. He needed a way out but a plan was not forthcoming…

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

By now the rain was beating heavily down onto Tyson and the mud around his feet was getting thicker and thicker with each step. His hair, which usually stood proud and erect from his scalp, was reduced to a damp mess of dark strands that distorted his vision and clouded his judgement. His clothes were heavy and stuck to his body and his boots felt like two weights attached awkwardly to his feet that didn't respond to the chemical triggers in his head.

'Must… continue…' he mumbled to himself in the hope that the physical saying of the words would spur his body on further, but the mud and rain and thick atmosphere were proving a lot for the young Beyblader. There was only one thing spurring him on to continue and that was the power of friendship. Tyson hated to admit it to himself but he valued his friends. Though he often came across as brash, deep down he admired his friends and was grateful for their companionship. Now they were gone there was a gaping hole in his being. Tyson realised he had to get them back at any cost; they would be counting on him.

The last day or so was speeding through Tyson's head as he continued through the valley. From Kenny's house, having secured the laptop into his jacket pocket, Tyson has sped to the houses of his other friends for help. Firstly he had headed to Kai's house but he wasn't there. In one way Tyson was happy at this – he didn't really want to admit weakness to his greatest rival – but in another he feared rightly that Kai had also been captured by the same kidnapper that had snared Kenny. Visits to Max and Ray's houses had also proven unfruitful with no one answering his frantic knocks on their subsequent doors. Tyson had found himself stood in the shadow of Ray's house with his mind buzzing with questions and angst etched into his face. The void inside him was growing and the magnitude of the situation was also coming home. Tyson realised he now had a responsibility to face; a responsibility to find out who had taken his friends and why they had done this.

It was Dizzi that had helped him on the right track. She had led him from Ray's house, through the town and down towards the trees. Dizzi was following the huge amounts of energy that lined the main street, wrapped around each lamppost and stamped into every piece of street furniture. The static was incredible, distorting Dizzi's voice and causing her laptop screen to crackle and fuzz. Tyson tried his best to rectify this but even he was feeling the effects of the energy field. His hair crackled and his clothes built up an inordinate amount of static which discharged on his skin, much to Tyson's annoyance. Dizzi reassured him that everything would work out fine though as they walked Tyson could tell from the slight hollowness in her voice that even Dizzi was unsure that the outcome would be what they both hoped.

As they walked the sky darkened; thick clouds were moving swiftly across the sky, interlocking with clouds from the opposite direction and merging to form a swirling body of dark ominous matter. The first few drops of rain darkened the floor of the village which was slowly changing from tarmac and stone to mud and sticks. By the time Tyson had reached the edge of the trees the rain was already battering down and turning the stable wood floor into a bog-like mass of mud and water. Tyson's immaculate clothing was quickly becoming filthy and his appearance less than perfect. Even Dizzi complained about the weather, mumbling something about getting water in her circuits. The complaint wasn't too loud though; even as a computer she knew it wasn't the time or the place; she knew that having a moaning bit-beast was not going to help Tyson with whatever he had to do next.

Both man and bit-beast were hoping that the walking would end. Tyson had had it up to his head with the mud (though luckily it wasn't up to his head) and just wanted some resolution to the situation, though one wasn't forthcoming as the rain stepped up a gear as a fierce wind whipped up, blowing rain into his face and making his failing vision even poorer. Even Dizzi was having trouble getting her bearings of where exactly they were; the static was constantly building to a tremendous level which was reducing her effectiveness. Tyson was equally as troubled by it; his hair was now suffering from a mixture of static and water, a combination he wasn't happy with.

A fork of lightning hit the ground not much further ahead of the pair in the valley. Tyson swallowed hard but it stuck in his throat; his stomach was doing summersaults. He hadn't felt this nervous since he'd played his first ever Beyblade battle. Or tried to ask Akemi out for a pizza when he'd been at school. But the situation now was much more than a game or young love; this was real life and there was more to this than winning a Beyblade or accompanying the prettiest girl of the year to the nearest restaurant. Tyson's friends were missing and he knew he was the only answer to the mystery. At least he had Dizzi with him in the dark though he would have felt more confident if Dizzi was actually with him in person – a presence he could physically see and hold – and not just in the laptop but it was something he had to cope with. Cope with whether he liked it or not.

As the wind continued to howl around Tyson's ankles and the rain continued to batter at his face, he knew he had little choice but to continue, but at least it wasn't for much longer. He was distracted from his course through the muddy valley by the sound of the thunder getting closer and closer; and then the lightning struck. In what was only a matter of half a second, a large bolt of lightning had descended from the heavens and struck one of the trees at the top of the valley, sending it rolling down the muddy slope and having it land only feet away from Tyson. He stumbled back in shock, dropping Kenny's laptop to the ground. Dizzi let out an exclamation of disgust as her home was coated in thick sludge. Tyson lifted himself from the ground, dusted himself off as best as he could, and retrieved the laptop from the floor below, saying sorry to Dizzi as he did so. But he didn't have much time to get the few words of apology out; a figure had appeared before him.

It was difficult for Tyson to describe the figure even to himself. The electrical signals that passed from his eyes to his brains failed to grasp the shape ahead. Maybe it was the driving wind or rain that was forcing his eyeballs to remain half open; maybe it was exhaustion from the long walk; or maybe it was the immense static that was now bubbling all around, making the hair on Tyson's arms stand on end. It certainly wasn't fright causing that; well, at least that's what he was telling himself.

The figure, dressed in a dark black cloak and with a slight hunch, made the first move, seeming to float over the mud and up to the other side of the fallen tree. Tyson swallowed and prepared himself both mentally and physically, adopting a ninja style position that his granddad had taught him. How he wished he could just summon up the power of Dragoon to defeat the figure but for some reason his arms were frozen and would not move no matter how hard he tried to make them. All Tyson could do was watch the figure slowly creep up to him, its face concealed by a dark hood. It let out a menacing laugh, like some sort of stereotypical villain.

'W-who are you,' Tyson stuttered, feeling angry that he'd shown a sign of fear. But he was full of fear; he was in a dark valley with a thunderstorm happening overhead, his body being battered by the elements, static and fear, with nothing but an old tree trunk and a laptop stood between him and whatever it was that was now facing him. The figure didn't reply straight away, instead it floating majestically over the branch and up to Tyson. The static now was unbearable and Dizzi had decided enough was enough, temporarily shutting the laptop down to avoid the painful feeling that was hitting it. She would have joked that she was now truly Dizzi, but the situation did not call for any humour. Jokes were the last thing on Tyson's mind, though the figure he was facing seemed to be getting some humour from the situation as it let out another maniacal laugh. Then it spoke.

'You must be Tyson. I've heard a lot about you.'

'Really?' Tyson asked, his voice continuing to waver. 'I can't say the same about you.'

The figure laughed again.

'That's because no one has ever got to know me. Not that they would want to.'

'I want to get to know you,' Tyson said, the feeling beginning to return to his limbs, bringing with it his traditional bull-headedness. 'I want to know what possessed you to kidnap my friends.'

The figure laughed once more. Then he laughed again. He was finding something funny.

'Your friends. I kidnapped them because they refused to give in. I suppose that comes with the territory. You Beybladers are all the same. Full of yourself and all stubborn as mules. You should have heard the words coming from the three tall ones! But the kid with the glasses was the best; refusing to give me his laptop. He paid the price for his stubbornness, though I see you've kindly achieved what I didn't and got the laptop to me. Clearly Beyblading doesn't require much intelligence.'

It was now Tyson's turn to let out a sound, but it wasn't a laugh but a growl of anger.

'The only one without intelligence here is you.'

'And how do you figure that out little man?'

'Because you're picked a fight with me.'

'Picking a fight. With you. I could crush you with my fist. No. I'm here to challenge you fairly. To a Beyblade battle.'

Tyson suddenly felt overconfident. The figure had dragged him all the way out here to a muddy valley to challenge him to a Beyblade fight. Was he mad? Did he not realise how good Tyson had got recently?

'A Beyblade battle?' Tyson scoffed, his bubbling confidence once more returning. 'Is that it?'

'Well sort of,' the figure said in an off-hand manner. 'Except it is going to be a battle with one big difference.'

The figure began to gesture with his arms at the surrounding area. Tyson was puzzled by this: all he could see was the usual mud and trees that his eyes had been looking at for the past twenty minutes. There was nothing new.

'One thing you seem not to have noticed is what you are standing in. If you actually got a hair cut you could probably see better. You're standing in a rather large stadium. See the sloping slides that go all the way around? Imagine the trees were people rather than plants watching you prepare yourself. Welcome to the world's largest Beyblade stadium.'

'And…?' Tyson asked sarcastically. 'Am I supposed to be impressed?'

'Yes.' The figure said bluntly.

'Well I'm not. Though I would be impressed if you could give me my friends back.'

'Certainly. You'll be seeing your friends any moment. You see, you need something to go with the world's largest Beyblade stadium and that's the world's largest Beyblade… or make that three…'

Tyson was about to question the man's last statement but after only a few seconds he realised he didn't need to. The answer started off as a quiet rumbling which soon escalated into what Tyson could only describe as a mini-earthquake causing the 'stadium' to shake violently from side to side, almost throwing him off his feet and down to the muddy floor. It was a wonder that, with the escalating ferocity of the storm, that Tyson didn't lose his footing. It was only through a sense of determination that he didn't. He grit his teeth and stood firm, the laptop thrust underneath his arm; but his exterior calm belied an inner sense of panic which was only heightened when an object appeared, seen only in the corner of his eye, making Tyson jerk his head around. He could not believe what he was seeing.

Spinning at him from the top of the valley was the largest Beyblade he'd ever seen. His mind began calculating how big it actually was; it eventually settled on comparing it to the size of a large monster truck tyre except more metallic and spinning at a far faster rate, catapulting down into the valley and spinning violently around Tyson. The other man had taken advantage of Tyson's awe at the giant Beyblade to flee the scene to watch the action from high above.

Aside from the size, the giant Beyblade was the perfect replica of an ordinary 'blade. Tyson momentarily mused on the size of the rip-cord needed to have launched it but figured there would have been an alternative way of setting it off. He didn't have long to consider the logistics of the launch as the Beyblade was spinning precariously near him. Then it got worse. Another two entered the giant stadium from opposite sides, spinning round and round Tyson and, most worryingly, bouncing off each other and ricocheting in unpredictable and random directions. Tyson realised that being in the middle of a giant Beyblade battle was not the best place to be. He looked up at the figure on high who he now saw was smirking.

'Get yourself out of this one,' he laughed viciously, 'or join your friends. Good luck my friend. Good luck!'

Tyson looked away, down to the laptop and across to the Beyblades and swallowed hard. For one of the only times in his life he was speechless. He needed a way out but a plan was not forthcoming…

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

It was clear that Beyblading was in Tyson's blood. When most children were learning to walk or talk, Tyson was learning how to correctly hold a Beyblade and how to play. And he'd proven himself quite proficient at it, beating a lot of children older than him. Of course he never dared challenge anyone even semi-professional as he wasn't even ten and knew that they would beat him. But as he grew taller and stronger more Beybladers came within his reach and his abilities grew until he developed a formidable reputation. Even though he had once found himself standing in the shadow of Kai, Max and Ray a lot of the time he could hold his own. When others around him were doing typical teenage pastimes of watching television and discovering the opposite sex, Tyson was obsessed with building the perfect Beyblade and challenging others. Soon he became just as able as his friends, if not more so. With help from his friends, especially Kenny, Tyson's abilities grew. He had a lot to thank 'The Chief' for and very soon would have something else to add to that list.

As Tyson stood in the middle of the valley, now dubbed a stadium by the shadowy figure watching him from on high, memories of his Beyblading history were flooding back to him, pummelling each one of his senses and trying their best to drown out the noise of the rain, the thunder and the swishing of the giant blades spinning around him and bashing into each other, making them catapult in all manner of random directions. They were closing in on him.

There was absolutely no way that Tyson could challenge the Beyblades using traditional methods. He had a couple of 'blades in his back pocket but nothing that could match the massive 'blades spinning around him, each one glinting as the lightning struck the ground all around, determined to cause him damage. Tyson, who had thus far remained static at the base of the valley, found himself having to jump out of the way and into the mud as one of the giant Beyblades headed towards him, skirting just past where he landed. Tyson lifted himself back onto his feet – a difficult task with the mud giving in to his every move and sucking his limbs into the cold damp earth. At least he still had Kenny's laptop held securely in his hand, even if it was currently no use due to the static in the air. He watched as the blades continued to spin and collide, looking like they wouldn't be coming near him shortly. The mysterious figure that had triggered off this situation filled the void with a maniacal laugh and then some more talking.

'I suppose I'd better introduce myself. It'd be frightfully rude not to!' he screamed, trying to be heard over the thunder and the constant swish-swish of the 'blades, putting on a pseudo-upper-class accent as he did so. 'After all, it's only fair you know the name of the person responsible for your death.

'I say death,' he corrected in a questioning manner, 'More like re-birth, but we'll come to that later.

'You can call me Yukio. Yes, Yukio. That'll do. I'm one of the Mystical Warriors. I don't suppose you've ever heard of us? No. You're too young and inexperienced.

'Well it's written in our scriptures that we are the rightful heirs to this fine country and for years we've been plotting and planning ways of seizing control of this land and then the world. But each and every one of our plots has failed. Until now.

'You see, Beyblades contain more power than the layman can imagine. The power, when used for good, is fantastic. Utilise it for what you would call 'bad' and, well, the results could be astounding. And that's why I'm here.

'You and your friends are the first in my plan for domination. Five individuals with extraordinary Beyblading abilities. Your friend Kenny. You see the musty brown Beyblade? That _is _Kenny?'

'What?' Tyson yelled over the cacophony of sounds, confused by the monologue delivered by Yukio. 'How can that be Kenny?'

'Don't interrupt me Tyson,' he said calmly, 'I don't take well to interruptions. I captured Kenny in there using one of these…'

Yukio dug deep into the pocket of his shawl and removed a normal sized Beyblade. The size, however, was the only thing normal about it. The colour was amazing: opal. But not just any opal; fire opal. The Beyblade was diffused with a rainbow of colours, each moulded into another. Just the sight – even at such a distance – of the Beyblade made Tyson's mouth drop. He was nearly sliced in half by a Beyblade due to his sole attention on the object. Only a last minute jump forwards saved him from injury, yet he still kept his eyes fixed on the Opal Beyblade. He'd never seen anything like it in his life; the amazement was such that all noise seemed to fade away.

'This is one of the Opal Beyblades,' Yukio said with relish. 'There are only four in the whole world and I possess one of them. This is the _Fire Opal_. Strong and powerful and all consuming. I used this to capture Kenny. It possesses an interesting quality known as '**excipio daemon'.'**

**'Exsipio darman?' Tyson mouthed, trying – and failing – to replicate the phrase.'**

**Yukio just laughed.**

**'I didn't expect you to know what it means. You just need to know that using this Beyblade I can trap any human into any Beyblade and it utilises their abilities. Of course the fighters that have held these 'blades in the past were blind to the possibilities. They just trapped their friends in traditional 'blades. I've gone one step further, hence the rather larger 'blades.**

**'Of course going back to the brown Beyblade. That's absorbed Kenny's powers. You'll find that Beyblade is resourceful and knowledgeable about manoeuvres and attacks. How about that? A Beyblade that understands about Beyblading and calculates its next course of action? That's a step forward.'**

**Tyson could not believe what he was hearing. If there hadn't been physical proof of the Beyblades in front of him he would have scoffed at what Yukio was saying. But something inside was telling Tyson that his nemesis was telling the truth. He was about to open his mouth to say something else when Yukio interrupted him.**

**'And I guess you want to know about the other two 'blades. The purple one. That's Max. His Beyblade is excellent at strategy but also very competitive: a formidable 'blade. And the green one. That's Ray I think you'll find. I'd watch out for that blade: it may not look as dangerous – in fact it hesitates quite a bit – but that belies its true nature. It's ruthless and wants to win. In life Ray is determined to beat you; as a Beyblade he's determined to kill you. At all costs.'**

**Tyson swallowed hard, now watching the Beyblades attacking each other at the other side of the stadium. He looked back up to Yukio, his voice cracking slightly.**

**'I only see three. What about Kai?'**

**'I'm glad you asked.'**

**The response took a few seconds to come. Tyson just stood there in the mud in suspense waiting for an answer. All the time to rain continued to storm down on him, soaking his clothes more and more and making them stick to his body. A fork of lightning across the sky lit up Yukio's face – it was fresh looking but anger and revenge were etched into each of the few lines – and prompted the conversation to continue.**

**'Look up there!' he said, Tyson's head twisting so his eyes could see where Yukio was pointing. 'Two more Beyblades. The red one houses Kai. That's a remarkably strong Beyblade with a determination to win at all costs. That's probably the most dangerous hence why I haven't 'let it rip'… yet.'**

**'And the blue one?'**

**'That'll be yours when you've been defeated by the 'blades. Then, once I have all five of you it will be off into the town to capture the rest of the pathetic residents on my way to getting a fighting force that will eventually lead to my overall rule of everywhere a Beyblade could possibly spin.'**

**'You really think you'll get me in there?' Tyson said, a fraction of his usual courage returning.**

**'I don't think. I know!' Yukio said confidently, turning on his heel. 'Now I best leave you to it. I've got things to plan. I'll see you when you've been downed by my 'blades and then – well – I shall put this Opal 'blade to good use and get you into my collection. Now won't that be fun?'**

**Yukio started walking away. Just when Tyson had thought he'd finished, he lifted his arms into the sky and clapped twice in quick succession. Tyson watched with horror as Kai's Beyblade began to spin and move down the muddy wall and into the stadium. Tyson's legs were frozen to the spot but he realised, as the purple 'blade headed towards him, he would have to move else that would be it: Yukio would have won. With only a few seconds to spare, Tyson threw himself to the right, landing face down in the mud. Though dirty, he was still conscious.**

**The further sound of spinning brought the movement of the fifth giant Beyblade to Tyson's attention. That too was moving down the wall and into the arena, ready to join the other four. The battle was now getting fiercer. Each of the five 'blades was spinning around the stadium as if they were bikers on the wall of death. Tyson studied the patterns of them all as the spun and hit and revolved and collided and separated and launched into the air, but despite Yukio's descriptions of their individual personalities, Tyson found it difficult to ascertain any sort of pattern. He didn't really fancy studying them for any length of time as he feared they would soon be approaching him. He wasn't wrong.**

**Within a few seconds of that thought flashing in his brain, Kai's 'blade spun towards Tyson, who could feel the rush of air hitting his face. He threw himself left to the ground, narrowly avoiding the 'blade which flew over his head and along the side of the stadium, pushing back down into the centre to collide with Max's Beyblade. Tyson sighed and lifted himself back up, attempting to clamber out of the stadium but it was no use. The rain had made the wall of the valley unstable and he was unable to get a firm footing, constantly slipping down and finding him trapped with the Beyblades. Ray's came within a few metres of him before bouncing off Kai's 'blade which was furiously spinning around like a manic top. If this had been a real championship battle with people looking on rather than trees it would have definitely been a crowd pleaser with its combination of frantic action, giant 'blades and the uncertainty of who would actually win. Whether they would like the fact that a living person – dwarfed by the 'blades – was in with them was open to debate, a debate Tyson was not really in the mood to have. He continued attempting to climb up the wall but realised quickly it was a fruitless task. The harder he tried to climb the more he slipped back down into the action. Again the Beyblades came too close to him; Tyson could feel the air that rushed in to fill the vacuum left by the spinning metallic 'blades.**

**He was tiring quickly. Though Tyson was used to being a part of the action – often getting a little too close to the action – he wasn't prepared to be actually _in_ the action like this. He would have been happy to just stand outside this stadium and watch the Beyblades doing their duty. He just didn't like the situation he was currently in, death staring him in the face and laughing. At least Yukio wasn't there to watch him struggling to avoid the 'blades. It was only through fear and adrenaline that Tyson didn't collapse there and then; he wanted to figure out a way of solving the problem he had found himself in as well as freeing his friends but he was struggling to do anything. His eyelids were drooping and his mouth was dry; Tyson was beginning to lose consciousness. He lost his footing and slipped backwards all the way down onto the earthy floor of the valley. Tyson's eyes stayed open just long enough to see one of the 'blades heading for him and then it went dark.**

**Tyson awoke after what seemed like only a few seconds to him but in reality it had been several minutes. As his senses came back online he let out a gasp of pain; a painful throbbing sound was shooting up his arm. He looked down at his limp limb to see a large red gash along it where he'd been struck by the edge of one of the 'blades. But that wasn't all that was there; a figure was standing over him. It didn't take Tyson long to realise it was Yukio. His nemesis laughed.**

**'I knew it wouldn't be long before you were beaten. It's a bit different being in a game than just playing it, isn't it?'**

**Tyson felt his head nodding; he felt like he was no longer in his body but observing the action from a few feet away. Still the throbbing continued, masking any other sounds about. He could just about make out the last few trickles of the rain storm but other than that there was nothing; not even the sound of spinning blades.**

**'I know what you're thinking,' Yukio muttered. 'I've stopped the 'blades. I wouldn't want to injure myself, would I?'**

**Tyson twisted his neck until his right ear touched the ground. He could see four of the 'blades lined up at the edge of the valley, all still and quiet. The fifth one – the one designated for Tyson – was missing, however. He couldn't see it but it was placed to his left a few metres away. Tyson looked back up at Yukio, his vision still presenting a mist between his eyes and what he was seeing.**

**'What are you going to do?'**

**'What I said I would,' he said in an off-hand manner, showing that he was palming his Opal 'Blade. 'You're going to become the next addition to my collection in your Beyblade. You did a good job but sadly, I always win. And you're going to help me with my next battle… and the one after that – and most likely the ones after that, on my way to world domination. Talented, competitive and a magnetic personality. You'll make one good 'blade.'**

**Yukio grasped his Opal Beyblade more firmly, bringing it in front of his chest.**

**'Now it ends.'**

**He made a quick jerk with his fist and the Beyblade burst into life; a ray shot out of it, creating a rainbow of colours. As soon as this ray hit Tyson he would be captured in the Beyblade but in a last chance effort to save himself, Tyson reached out and grabbed for Kenny's laptop which Yukio had planned to snatch and steal when it had all been over. Just in time, Tyson managed to deflect the ray with the silver casing of the laptop, sending it beaming up into space. It did, however, also send the laptop flying. Tyson, though his senses were muted, heard it land several metres away in the mud with a depressing squelch. Yukio just laughed.**

**'Nice try, Tyson. I like perseverance in my competitors. I like it even more in my 'blades.'**

**Yukio once more booted up the Opal Beyblade and fired the ray. This time it had no trouble in hitting its intended target. In a flash of light Tyson was gone; only his imprint in the mud suggested anyone had been there. Yukio twisted on his ankle and fired another ray at the spare giant Beyblade, transferring Tyson into it. He smiled. With this part of his job completed, Yukio slipped the Opal 'blade into his pocket and prepared to move the Beyblades back into his van which was parked out of sight down in the valley.**

**'Now with these five 'bladers captured, there is nothing to stop me from my plans. I am unstoppable!' he declared in a megalomaniacal fashion.**

**There was, however, something that stopped him in his tracks. A voice piped up from behind him.**

**'Not so far Yukio. You've got to get through me first.'**

**Yukio span around, his face red and his brow furrowed.**

**'Who the hell are you?' he said, feeling for the Opal Beyblade in his pocket.**

**'I,' the voice said confidently, 'am Dizzi…'**

**To be continued…**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

A lump travelled down Yukio's throat as he studied the person in front of him. Standing in the mud was a female figure dressed in denim jeans and a blue jacket. Her hair was long and brown and rested on her shoulders. Her slender body was just as attractive as her face which shone brightly in the dimness of the evening. The rain ceased falling; the clouds in the sky parted slightly to show some blue sky and even the trees that lined the valley seemed to soften. The female took a few steps towards Yukio before stopping and reaching into her pocket. She pulled from it a small silver object that Yukio instantly recognised as a Beyblade.

'Ah Dizzara. I've heard a lot about you. Never thought I'd see you in the flesh.'

Dizzi laughed.

'No one's called me Dizzara in a long time,' she mused, flicking her hair. 'And I figured you would never have thought you'd see me because you're blind. Blind to the truth of that 'blade's power.'

'The Opal Beyblade?' Yukio questioned. 'What do you mean?'

Dizzi just laughed; it wasn't a sarcastic laugh but it was enough to make Yukio feel unsure of himself for the first time since he'd arrived in the nearby town with the plot to capture the best Beybladers in the area.

'You laughed at the ones that held the Opal 'Blades before you but you are just as naïve to their power. You are forgetting that I am an expert in most things Beyblade. I know their true power.'

'How do you mean?' Yukio asked, hoping his questions would lead to the answers that would fill the void in his knowledge, which he didn't even know had existed until a few moments earlier. Dizzi bit her lip for a moment, contemplating whether to tell Yukio any more than she had already. She decided it was for the best; the more that she could unsettle Yukio the easier her job would be.

'You only knew that the Opal 'Blades could trap humans into Beyblades. What you have yet to grasp is that they can trap humans in any object. And they can also release humans from their prisons.

'I was one such prisoner.'

'How do you mean?' Yukio asked, repeating the four words again but this time asking for a completely different response.

'You want to know my story? You surprise me…'

Yukio nodded.

'If you're willing to tell me, I would like to listen. It may be of use to me.'

'So you can continue your plot of domination? Possibly. But I won't let you get that far.'

'We'll see about that. Now tell me your story.'

'Very well,' Dizzi said confidently, her chest rising and falling with each breath she took. Yukio was mesmerised by both her physical beauty and the beauty of her personality that seemed to wipe his minds of any thoughts he'd been having. 'When I was eight I was a great Beyblade player. I could beat most people even twice my age. I quickly attracted the attention of some pretty ruthless players who would come and challenge me but fail. My confidence grew as I did but so did my naivety. After one battle I was jumped on as I walked home. The last thing I saw was a figure in a cowl – not unlike your dress today – pinning me to a wall and holding up an object to my throat.

'I remember thinking that they had a knife and were going to attack me – or worse. But it wasn't. It was an Opal Beyblade. They imprisoned me in a Beyblade and used me to win battles for my kidnapper. All the time I screamed to be freed but I was subdued by the power of the 'blade.

'For years I travelled with my captor, aware of nothing but the need to win. I didn't see the angst of my parents at my disappearance, the many searches that were conducted to find me, the growing discord in my town. I only became free by accident when my kidnapper got greedy and tried to capture someone else, but in the struggle the ray from the 'blade misfired and freed me. Then I ran and ran as far away as I could until I stumbled across Kenny and his laptop.

'Being chased by several of the Mystical Warriors I quickly needed a place to hide. Kenny's laptop was the best place to hide and so I became his assistant in all things Beyblade. I didn't dare return to my parents as I feared they would be just mere shadows of who I remembered. In time the laptop too ensnared me and I could not leave, but I was happy. I was with people whom I liked and whom I trusted and so I stayed in the circuits until you freed me just now.

'That is my story. That is how I ended up in the laptop. You see, you're not the only one who has been touched by the power of the Opal Beyblades.'

There was silence between the pair, stood in a relaxed stand off position with Yukio stood near to the five still blades and Dizzi only a few feet away, Beyblade in hand and a determined expression on her face. Neither made a move for many moments until a slight twitch in Dizzi's hand made Yukio move.

'I'm not gonna stand here any longer. You've got your sob story off your chest, now I have a job to do.'

Dizzi laughed.

'But I am here to stop you. If you want to continue with your insane plot then you'll have to get through me.'

Yukio sighed as if he didn't want to say what he was about to.

'If you insist. But it doesn't have to be this way. You're free now, you could go and live your life. Why challenge me and face death?'

'Because you have taken my life. My life is in each of those Beyblades. My friends are my life; without them I'm just another individual. I have to stop you.'

'That's your choice. You've made it and now you have to face the consequences.'

As the last syllable left Yukio's mouth, the five blades began to spin. The battle was about to commence…

Dizzi realised that the battle wasn't going to be a traditional one so she slipped her own Beyblade into her pocket, simultaneously darting to the left and avoiding Kai's giant Beyblade. She ran around the side of the valley, building up enough momentum to stay on the side before spinning down onto the floor, stopping in front of Yukio and making him twist out of the way. But before she had chance to tackle him he delivered a swift kick to her leg which made Dizzi recoil in pain, giving Yukio the time to pass her by and continue on his way to the edge of the valley. But Dizzi didn't give up there; she was already on his trail, running through the mud and narrowly avoiding colliding with one of the spinning Beyblades which flew past her and collided with another. Yukio was edging further away, taking advantage of his footwear which was more appropriate for running through mud. Dizzi, however, was not one to sit back; she soldiered on through the unforgiving terrain and began to catch up with Yukio. From her pocket she whipped out her Beyblade again and threw it squarely at Yukio's head, distracting him from a moment as he inquired to what had hit him. This gave Dizzi the crucial time needed to catch up and deal with the problem. At least she would have done if a giant Beyblade hadn't just then appeared and caused her to swerve out of its way meaning Yukio could once more build up a healthy lead.

Dizzi emitted a scream of annoyance as she began to accelerate once more into the run, her shoes beginning to cake with the mud and her hair flopping into her face as each strand dripped with sweat. Only determination to save her friends gave her the strength to continue and soon she was in touching distance of Yukio who was tiring of the race. With her own last ounce of effort, Dizzi thrust out her right leg and tripped him up. She spun round and watched with satisfaction as Yukio fell chest first into the mud and skidded along the ground, caking his cloak with damp mud. He cursed and flung himself up to his feet, turning to face his assailant.

'You think you're so good…' he muttered breathlessly. 'But you're not.'

He took from his pocket his Opal 'Blade and pointed it at Dizzi.

'Back to the laptop you go.'

But before Yukio had the chance to fire the ray at Dizzi she was already upon him, delivering a swift kick to the groin making Yukio drop to the floor once more, drop the 'blade and writhe in agony on the ground. Dizzi casually walked over to the Opal Beyblade, picked it up and pocketed it.

'That's mine now Yukio. It's been fun.'

'It's not over yet.'

From his vantage point on the ground Yukio had been able to see Max's Beyblade heading towards Dizzi. He smirked as he watched it get nearer but Dizzi was already onto it and threw herself to the right. She didn't have the chance to see Yukio's expression as the 'blade headed towards him instead – she was too busy catching her breath and clambering to her feet – but Dizzi did hear his curse and the blood-curdling sound of the Beyblade colliding with him. It was a sound she quickly remarked that she never wanted to hear again. She wasn't even really prepared to look but had to. Dizzi raised her hand to her mouth and took a few steps towards Yukio, who was now lying concussed on the floor. His head moved towards Dizzi as he laid there, his cloak dyed red with blood. Yukio's pupils were small and his mouth struggled to get out the words.

'OK… you win. But be careful. No matter what you or I have said, no one fully understands the power of that 'blade.'

Dizzi nodded in respect to the dying man. She took the 'blade from her pocket and inspected it before choosing to use it. Dizzi turned and, one by one, fired the ray at each of the giant Beyblades. They immediately stopped spinning in a flurry of sparks and figures were seen flying from their centre. Each landed face down in the mud: first Kenny, then Max, then Ray, then Kai and then finally Tyson. Dizzi blew the Opal Beyblade as if she were a cowboy and it was a gun before she returned it to her pocket. She walked over to the five Beybladers who were now coming too and standing up in the mud, each one with a perplexed look on their face.

'Where am I?' Kenny asked, wiping his glasses free of mud, looking round at the valley and trying to make sense of his position. It was a sentiment shared by Max, Ray and Kai. Only Tyson knew where he was but was unaware of what had happened since his capture by Yukio and Dizzi's heroic saving of the day. Tyson was first to his feet, walking over to the woman in front of him. He was still unaware of her true identity.

'I think I have you to thank for our rescue. Thanks.'

'No problem Tyson.'

'You know my name?'

Dizzi blushed.

'You obviously don't recognise me. Though you should recognise my voice…'

If Tyson had been a cartoon character his jaw would have physically dropped to the floor at this point.

'D-Dizzi?' he stuttered, his brain telling him that it could not be her. Dizzi nodded.

'The same. It seems the power of the Opal Beyblade freed me from the laptop. But I can't speak long. Yukio is dying and when he does everything he did with the 'blade will be undone.'

'Meaning?'

'I'll be back in the laptop.'

Tyson paused for a moment. He suddenly felt awkward in a way he'd never felt before. Something was stirring inside him.

'Well thanks Dizzi. You did more than I did.'

'You did your best. Against all odds your actions led to his defeat. You're a hero Tyson.'

Tyson blushed. He felt a flutter in his chest. Only now did he realise the explanation for his feelings. He was looking at Dizzi with her flowing hair and her shapely figure and realising that he actually had feelings for her. It was a difficult feeling to define; he could only describe it as an airy feeling inside that seemed to push all his negative thoughts aside. Tyson began to feel what was natural and it seemed these feelings _were_ reciprocated. Dizzi drew nearer.

'I don't think I have much longer in this form,' she said gently, spotting that Yukio's life force was already fading. 'I'd best tell you this now… I… I like you, always have. I don't think I'll have another chance for this.'

'What?' Tyson asked, his heart fluttering and his breathing becoming heavier and faster. Dizzi moved in towards him, her hand resting on his shoulder. Their heads moved closer together and, as their eyes slowly closed, their lips touched. Tyson had never felt like this before; he felt a feeling of joy lifting all the way from his toes to the tip of his head. But just as their lips touched and the feeling sparked through each of their bodies the sensation was gone. Tyson opened his eyes to realise Dizzi was gone. Yukio had passed away and Dizzi had returned to her laptop, which Kenny had now retrieved from the mud and was attempting to clean.

'My laptop!' he exclaimed, 'Thank God it's still here.'

He opened it up.

'Dizzi?' he asked nervously, hoping she was still in there. A beep confirmed this.

'Hi Kenny.'

'Dizzi. You're alright!'

'I think I'm more than alright,' she said with a longing sigh.

Whilst this short exchange was taking place Kai had walked over to Tyson who was stood on the edge of the valley staring at his muddy shoes. Kai could sense something was the matter and tried to comfort him but it wasn't a great attempt.

'Who was that you were with?' he asked.

'Erm… no one,' Tyson said. Kai just nodded.

'Well whoever it was, it seems we have them to thank for saving us.'

'Yeah,' Tyson muttered with very little enthusiasm. Kai decided it was best to leave Tyson to his thoughts so he returned to Max, Ray and Kenny and they began to talk about the events of the past few days. Tyson sighed and thought back to his exchange with Dizzi. He'd never felt anything like that before and feared that he never would again. Still staring at his feet, Tyson's eyes wandered across the soil floor before they stumbled across something half-submerged in the mud. Tyson looked over to his friends but they were too busy talking to notice him. With that in mind Tyson bent down and picked up the object, turning it over in his hand. He smiled; it was the Opal Beyblade. When Dizzi had returned to the laptop the Opal 'Blade had obviously stayed put and not travelled with her. He quickly pocketed this and walked over to talk to his friends, happy in the knowledge he was in possession of one of the most powerful Beyblades ever to exist.

As the five friends walked through the valley in the direction of home, chatting about what had happened with Tyson filling in the gaps as best he could, little did they realise that Yukio was just the tip of the iceberg and soon they would all be facing challenges of their own.

Revenge was coming.

But Tyson, for one, wouldn't have cared if he'd known. He couldn't stop thinking about Dizzi and their brief kiss. He wanted more; he wanted to get to know Dizzi more. And now he had the power to do something about it. Tyson smiled.

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_Six weeks ago…_

Four men found themselves wandering down an ornate corridor lit only be the occasional flame torch on the wall. The flames cast shadows of the pillars that lined the corridor and as the amber sparks flickered so did the shadows. A cold wind howled through the passageway whipping at the feet of the men. None of them responded to it; they were too desensitised to be affected by a minor chill at their ankles. Besides, they were too busy thinking about why they had been called to such an unusual building on the edge of a thick forest. The best description of the property they had come up with was a temple with four large pillars on the outside decorated elaborately with characters and creatures from Japanese mythology. The main door had been slightly ajar; no one met them so they let themselves in, following the only pathway through the building. The four men said nothing as they continued to walk; they were all strangers and had only met in the shadow of the building. They hadn't even exchanged names.

Eventually the corridor came to an abrupt stop at a pair of grand doors decorated with gold carvings of Japanese creatures and words. The tallest of the four men stopped at them, ran his hand across the carvings for a brief moment before pushing open the door. It moved with a heavy screech along the floor but only enough to let the four men squeeze inside. The room on the other side was equally as atmospheric.

The far corners of the room were all cloaked in darkness as the fire that burned in the centre of the room failed to reach there. The embers from the fire, however, did travel a fair distance, spitting onto the floor all around the room and blackening the tiles. The large logs of wood in the middle crackled as the flames consumed them. Four pillars held up the ornate ceiling. The room was empty aside from these, the fire, the four men and one individual on the other side of the fire who was but a shadow. The four men decided they had to approach him and as they did, walking a curved path around the fire and enjoying its heat, it turned to reveal a surprisingly young face. One of the men stepped forward, annoyed at the sight of someone so young.

'_You_ called us here,' he said in a deep, booming voice that seemed to echo off the walls. 'But you can't be older than sixteen. Why have you got us to come all the way out here?'

'Hmm…' the figure said to himself, his voice masked by the hooded shawl he was wearing and the crackling of the fire. 'Angry and fiery. The fire 'blade I think.'

'What?' the man said, unable to really pick out what the figure had been mumbling. He was about to step nearer to him when the figure spoke up.

'Hello gentleman,' he said, his voice confirming his youth. 'I'm glad you've come.'

There were murmurs between the men. The 'fiery' man had stepped back into the huddle.

'I suppose you're all wondering why you've been summoned here, and by someone so young.'

There was a chorus of nods as the shadows from the fire darted across the men's faces.

'Well the truth is,' the figure said, walking away from the fire with his arms crossed behind his back, never turning his back towards the men, 'I need you. You have been called by me to fulfil an ancient tradition.'

'What tradition?' said the only man to have spoken so far. The figure that had called them all to the mysterious room raised his finger to prompt quiet.

'All shall become clear. The tradition of the 'Mystical Warriors'. For centuries four individuals in each generation have been chosen to possess four mystical Beyblades known as the 'Opal Beyblades'. Each one houses magical powers that even to this day no one is sure of. In fact, very few people know of their existence.

'The last four to hold the 'blades were incompetent. One by one they let the powers of the 'blade get to them. Through greed and through stupidity each one was killed or beaten and lost possession of the 'blades. You don't know how hard it has been for me to get them back.'

The figure gave a sinister cackle as if he knew more about the rescuing of the 'blades than he was letting on. He continued.

'And now I have them back it's time to give them out to four more individuals who will be able to complete what no other 'blade bearers' have managed.'

The next words rolled off his tongue with satisfaction.

'World domination.'

The four men just stood there transfixed. Whether it was the atmosphere of the room, the unusual behaviour of the man stood in front of them or the words he was saying, they did not know. All they knew was that this plan appealed to them. Ever since each of them had independently received a piece of parchment calling them to this distant location, all had been wondering the purpose. They had been incredibly suspicious, of course, but equally curious as to their calling. Now they know and they liked it.

The hooded figure took from one of the deep pockets in his cowl four objects and held them out in his hand. They reflected the light from the fire back at each and everyone in the room. It was difficult, nay impossible, for the four men to withhold a sigh of admiration and awe from fleeing from their mouths.

'Beautiful aren't they,' the figure said, the beauty of each of the 'Opal Beyblades' reflecting in their eyes. 'There's one for each of you.'

'Kano. God of the Waters. You shall have the 'Opal Beyblade' of water. With it you can wash away people's thoughts.'

Kano stepped forward and took the Beyblade with a shot of blue through it. As it came in contact with his hand a shock went through his body. He became one with his 'blade. He stepped back into the group. The figure continued.

'Mamoru - earth. You shall get the 'Opal Beyblade' of earth. With it you can rock the stadiums and win battles.'

Mamoru collected his Beyblade and felt the same surge of power through his nervous system.

'Akira – intelligent. You shall get the 'Opal Beyblade' of wind. Powerful enough to blow your opponents' Beyblades straight out of the stadium.

'With your powers you can go and win Beyblade battle after Beyblade battle, stealing all the best Beyblades on your way to taking over the world.'

The fire in the centre of the room reflected in the wide eyes of the figure in the middle who'd called the men there. A smile drifted across his face.

'And finally the fourth Beyblade. Use it well. Fire – with the power to send rays out to capture Beybladers in their own Beyblades thus utilising their powers to take over cities and countries. This needs to be used by someone with fire in their belly. This is the perfect blade for you…'

The final man – the first to talk – walked up to the figure and received his 'blade which also sent out power surging through his body.

'…Yukio…'

_Seven weeks later…_

"Let it rip!"

It was a cold and damp Wednesday afternoon and Tyson and Kai were once more locked in a Beyblade battle. Each was stood at the side of the stadium waving their fists about, shouting confident phrases at each other, each determined to beat the other and win the battle. Max, Ray and Kenny were stood a little away also cheering but unsure really who to support. Tyson and Kai weren't really bothered as they were too engrossed in the battle; sweat was pouring from both the Beybladers as they slugged it out, watching their Beyblades collide and spin and pummel the other.

'Give it up Kai. You know I'll win!' Tyson shouted, gloating. Kai just laughed, clenching his fists, his pupils following the fast movements of the Beyblades.

'In your dreams, Tyson. You've not won a battle in two weeks.'

Tyson clenched his teeth.

'I've been unlucky that's all. Now it's time for you to lose.'

Kai just laughed again as his Beyblade spun along the side of the stadium and down into the centre, colliding strongly with Tyson's and knocking it out of the stadium. It stopped spinning at Tyson's feet. Its owner looked up at Kai, his eyes narrowing and his brow furrowing. He grudgingly admitted defeat as Kai retrieved his own 'blade.

'Sorry Tyson but I outclassed you again!' Kai said joyfully as he walked over to the three onlookers. Tyson pocketed his Beyblade and shuffled over to them as well staying quiet for the next five minutes, his arms folded in front of him.

'Poor Tyson!' laughed Kai, straightening out his shirt. 'Thirteen matches now he's played over the last fortnight and not one he's won. Unlucky for some, eh Tyson? There's always next time. Next time when _I_ win.'

Tyson didn't say a word. For the first time ever he had other things on his mind than a battle of egos with Kai. One look at Kenny and his laptop brought it all back to him. He could still feel Dizzi's kiss on his lips and the strange feeling that had spread through his body. Tyson imagined it to be the feeling of love but he had no experience of that so he didn't know. All he knew was the joy of winning and the heartbreak of losing at Beyblade. But still he could not forget Dizzi and her voice coming from the small laptop speakers as Kenny spoke to her only hammered in the loss he was feeling.

Ever since they had embraced a week earlier, Tyson had struggled to think of anything but Dizzi, standing there in her human form with her hair fluttering slightly in the breeze and her lips smiling radiantly. Because they had only shared a short moment together, Dizzi had taken on more of a personality in Tyson's mind and he pictured what would happen if they could meet person-to-person again. This series of lovely thoughts was only punctured by the realisation that he probably would never have any close contact with her again. Tyson looked down at the floor as he stood there with his friends and briefly took the 'Opal Beyblade' from his pocket which he'd carried around with him ever since the events of two weeks earlier. Tyson studied the 'blade before pocketing it again; he realised that this was his key. With the 'blade he could free Dizzi and they could then be a proper couple. But his brain dismissed this thought as pure selfishness. He didn't know whether that was what Dizzi wanted; she always seemed happy and content enough in Kenny's laptop. Tyson didn't even have the chance to talk to her; she was always with Kenny. He sighed and returned his gaze to the friends around him, though the conversation was just like background noise and he couldn't pick up any words; it was just a general hubbub of noise. But that was soon to be broken.

Broken by the sound of footsteps approaching the group. Kai was the first to look round, then Max, then Ray and then finally Tyson. Just as he did, the figure was upon them, a man dressed in what seemed to be a blue Kimono. He had a thick moustache and bushy eyebrows. It was obvious to them – as experienced Beybladers – that he was holding a Beyblade in his fisted hand. Kai was the only one to speak.

'Can we help?'

'I'm looking for Tyson Granger. Do you know where I could find him?'

Max cast a shifty glance at Tyson but averted his gaze quickly back to the new arrival. It wasn't quick enough, however, to go unnoticed by the fifth man. Max attempted to cover his tracks.

'I can't say I've heard of him. Then again it is a big town – we get all sorts of people passing through.'

'I see,' the man said slowly, his eyes darting around before settling on Tyson. 'So if I was to ask you whether you're Tyson Granger, you'd say "no"?'

'Yes. Exactly,' Tyson replied.

'I see.'

The man exhaled and began to turn around as if to leave the group. But, when the group expected him to walk away, he turned around again and threw himself at Tyson grabbing him by the shirt and trying to choke him. Kai responded by getting the man in an arm lock but he couldn't quite pull him off Tyson as his strength was amazing. Tyson began choking as the main spoke.

'Listen here, boy. You are responsible for the death of one of the 'Mystical Warriors' and for that you'll pay.'

Tyson choked and attempted to explain the situation and how it was actually Dizzi but he swallowed his words. He did not want to get Dizzi into danger, and besides how could he explain the story to someone who was strangling him and taking away all his breath? Tyson was just confused as to how he found out about Yukio's death and how he'd come to associate Tyson with it. He glanced over to the rest of the group but they were trying to pull the man off. Only Kenny was not helping, tapping away instead at the laptop as if hoping to find an answer. But Tyson didn't need it; the man freed him from his grasp, letting Tyson fall to the ground with a thud. He rubbed his backside and slowly got up, dusting himself down. The man had pushed Kai, Max and Ray away and straightened his kimono after it had been pulled out of line by a struggling Kai. He still had anger imprinted on his face.

'I'm a fair man,' he said, though the group doubted this from his introductory reaction. 'Instead of a fight to the death I'm willing to settle this man-to-man. A Beyblade battle.'

Tyson was now stood up again though was still rubbing his neck as if hoping to erase the red marks.

'Sure'.

'Hear me out though, boy. The battle will be for your 'Opal Beyblade'.'

Tyson swallowed hard. His 'Opal Beyblade' was his only chance to be reunited with Dizzi. If he lost that – and the chances were high that he would after his recent form – he would never have the chance to get back with her. It was a difficult decision.

'What do I get in return?' Tyson asked as he tried to stall for time. The man laughed.

'Apart from your life? Then you'll get _my _Opal 'Blade.'

The man produced a Beyblade from his pocket. Tyson gasped in awe; it was just as beautiful as his own but instead of being tinted red had a shot of blue through it. Even Kai, Max, Ray and Kenny were in awe of it. Tyson thought. He did not want to accept the challenge.

'I don't want to challenge you.'

Tyson was shocked at himself. He'd never dismissed a challenge before no matter the odds. The man grew impatient.

'Either you accept my challenge or you die. Simple as that.'

Tyson swallowed hard once more. It seemed that he had no choice.

'OK,' he said with a sigh finally facing up to the truth. 'I accept.'

'Good!' the man said. 'Now prepare to lose.'

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

_Eight years earlier…_

"… and the winner is… Dizzara!"

The applause of the crowd filled up the street as Dizzara lent into the stadium and stopped her Beyblade from spinning. She slipped it back into her pocket and turned to face the crowd, her young face beaming with happiness and the smile on her face stretching from ear to ear. Her opponent, who had also just turned eight, choked back his tears as he retrieved his own 'blade from the floor and held it tightly in his hands. He rejoined his parents who comforted him with a hug and some reassuring words. Dizzara also jointed her parents; her dad ruffled her hair and smiled.

'Well done!' he said happily. Dizzara beamed. This was one of the happiest days of her life and it showed in her fresh face. She skipped over to some friends. Her parents shouted after her:

'Don't wander too far!'

But Dizzi wasn't really listening. The joy at winning the Beyblade battle masked all other sounds and emotions. She continued to skip through the street, which was emptying, chatting to neighbours and friends who had turned out to see the day of Beyblade challenges which had culminated in the final that she'd won. Little did Dizzara realise that there was one person watching who didn't have congratulating her on his mind.

Dizzara decided to head home via the alleyway that ran near to her house. She skipped into the entrance, dodging the series of dustbins that lined the route. It was only when she was half way down that she realised something was wrong. The alley was overlooked by two houses and they blocked out the sunlight. A bitter wind blew down the alley causing Dizzara's hair to blow about and tangle up. She turned awkwardly on the sound of footsteps to see a tall man in traditional Japanese dress approach her. Something in his hand shimmered.

'W-Who are you?' Dizzara muttered, shaking slightly and fearing for the worst. Her young mind could not contemplate what the man could have done next.

'Don't be afraid, child,' the man said. 'My name is Fudo. I'm here to – help you.'

'Help me?' Dizzara said, trembling, taking a few steps back. The man just followed her, towering over the little figure. His hand shifted and he showed her the most beautiful Beyblade Dizzara had ever seen. For a moment she was transfixed, the true beauty of the metallic 'blade reflecting in her eyes. Fudo laughed. His shadow towered over Dizzara's own casting on the wall, lit by the sliver of sunlight from above that had finally penetrated the gloominess of the alley. A bright light blazed in the alley for a fraction of the second and then her shadow was gone. Fudo pocketed his Beyblade and whistled as he left the alley, bumping into a man and woman as he walked down the centre of the street. They looked worried and nervous.

'Have you seen a young girl about _this_ high?' the woman said, gesturing a height with her hand. Fudo shook his head.

'There are lots of children around. But I shall keep a look out. What does she look like?'

He was very calm in his words; a complete juxtaposition to the panic of the pair speaking to him.

'Erm… brown hair, pretty face, wearing dungarees.'

The shot of Dizzara cowering in fear filled his mind. Fudo just shook the thoughts from his head, signalling a negative response with the same movement.

'I can't say I have. Sorry.'

And with that, Fudo walked off, leaving Dizzara's parents to frantically search the area in vain. Fudo tapped his pocket as he got into a car. His mission was over. He had secured one of the best Beybladers in the area.

_Three years later…_

Fudo had not seen, or been to, the temple in the last three and a half years. Returning to it was like visiting an old friend but, in reality, he feared this old friend would be less than forgiving. For three years he'd been trying to fulfil his role of using people captured in his red 'Opal Beyblade' to win more and more contests and eventually building up enough power to topple the Government but so far he had failed. His calling to the temple came on the back of his most idiotic mistake yet; he had accidentally released one of his key Beybladers.

As he pushed open the ornate entrance doors of the temple the scene flooded back into his mind. It had been back in the same alley in which he'd captured her three years earlier. Fudo was back at the Beyblading festival of the town waiting for the finalist to be announced. Security had been tight at the event ever since the kidnapping and he found himself having to be careful among the security guards that were positioned along the route. Whilst there he caught sight of Dizzara's parents, looking unnaturally older than they had before, mumbling to themselves and pacing up and down the street hoping their daughter would return to them on this day. Of course she hadn't on either of the previous years but they hadn't given up hope. Fudo smiled as he walked past them. If only they'd known that their missing daughter was still trapped inside the Beyblade in his pocket. The couple eventually left the competition after failing to see her daughter, the father reassuring his wife they would find her next year. Sadly for them both, the heartache of losing their only child would mean they wouldn't be there at the festival next year…

Fudo stopped outside one of the stadiums and studied the form. He waited there for the whole day until a young boy of about eight won the final. Fudo then proceeded to follow him until there was no one around, as the boy also foolishly took the shortcut Dizzara had taken three years earlier. The boy also turned around on hearing the footsteps behind him and too quivered with fear. The only difference with this encounter was that the boy fought back, avoiding the ray which bounced off the wall and this meant it hit Fudo's Beyblade, releasing Dizzara. Whilst she fell to the floor with a bump, the boy escaped to raise the alarm. Fudo quickly realised he had no time to re-capture Dizzara and so fled, running down the alley just as a mob of people entered the alley at the other end. By this point Dizzara had also run off, fearing his return. She found herself blindly stumbling the streets, her senses confused after three years in a Beyblade, unable to recognise her home town.

A harsh storm was building in the air and it was beginning to rain. She needed somewhere to hide. Dizzara spotted her only salvation. After three years stuck inside a 'blade, there was only one other place she could hide: somewhere equally as small. Dizzara spotted a nine year old boy dressed in a brown coat and with a pair of thick bottle-lens glasses on his head. With the energy from the 'Opal Beyblade' still throbbing inside her, she got herself absorbed into his laptop just as the storm began depositing heavy droplets of water all around the town causing everyone to flee inside. Dizzara was too relieved to realise that the laptop she had entered was being held by a boy who ran straight past her parents' house. Her dad was looking out of the window still hoping to see his daughter. But neither father nor daughter saw each other and that was the way it would stay.

Fudo's thoughts drifted back to his current situation. He was now standing on the threshold of a pair of a doors, having wandered down the main corridor. Fudo knocked three times on the door with the back of his fist and a voice inside called him to enter. He pushed the heavy door and squeezed in through the small gap.

The fire in the centre of the room, which usually sizzled and flamed and lit up the whole room, was all but extinguished. A dark figure was standing on the other side. He turned to face a shocked Fudo.

'Who are you?' Fudo asked, failing to recognise the figure standing in front of him. Though he was wearing the same cape, it was not the same man who had brought him to the temple three and a half years earlier.

'I am your new leader,' he said, the last embers of the fire flickering over his face. 'Your old leader has sadly passed away.'

'How?'

'I killed him.'

'You…'

Fudo had no emotional attachment to the previous leader but this revelation still came as a shock to him. He bit his lip. The void in conversation was filled up by 'the leader' as he walked away from the fire and around Fudo.

'You see the previous leader was useless, as were all of the guardians of the 'Opal Blades'… the so called 'Mystical Warriors'. Masa lost all his 'blades and came here begging for forgiveness. I had no choice but to slaughter him where he stood. That'll teach him to be so careless and then make me pick up the pieces to retrieve his 'blade.

'Raidon. He was just as incompetent. Three and a half years and what progress has he made? Nothing. He had to be extinguished.

'And then there was good old Hiroshi. Really nice person; appalling Beyblade player. I hate having to organise unfortunate accidents.

'And now I come to you.'

Fudo suddenly wasn't feeling very positive. A lump travelled down his throat as the figure passed behind him. Fudo was a brave man but even he was scared to turn around. He could hear the sound of something metallic being removed from a sheath.

'And now you, Fudo. Lose one of our key Beybladers. She was already trapped in their. What else did you have to do? If it wasn't for the fact that your actions have now brought me closer to her, then I'd kill you on the spot. But then again I might. I often struggle to make up my mind!'

The leader laughed.

'What do you mean?' Fudo said, sweat dripping down his forehead. The fire in the centre of the room finally petered out, plunging the room into blackness.

'Nothing,' the figure said laughing. 'I just need to recruit four more warriors that's all. But before that I need to make sure the remainder are… removed.'

From outside in the corridor not much more could be heard except for the swishing of steel and the faint thud of a body hitting the floor.

The leader found himself recruiting four more individuals but these too would prove equally worthless. Five years on there would be a new four who would once more attempt world domination via Beyblade battles. And one of those would be called Kano…

_Five years later…_

Kano was standing there with one hand on his left hip and the other clutching his Beyblade. Tyson was opposite him stood with his own 'blade, ready for battle. Kano with his Opal Beyblade fashioned in blue; Tyson with his ordinary Beyblade. It was possessed with the power of Dragoon though. Kano laughed.

'You know the deal Tyson. We fight for Opal Beyblades. I'm not interested in your pathetic 'blade.'

'Well if you want my Opal Beyblade,' Tyson snorted, 'Why not just kill me and get it?'

'I hope that's not a request,' Kano said dryly. 'I normally would. Nothing would please me more than seeing you writhing on the floor in agony. Well, when I say nothing, there is one thing. Humiliating you by beating you at Beyblade. Now show me your Opal Beyblade!'

Kano's speech got harsher as it neared its conclusion, rising to a crescendo at the final two words. Tyson swallowed hard and swapped his 'blades. The battle was now ready to start. Kai took a step closer to the stadium and cleared his throat before announcing:

'Let it rip!'

As if somehow mirroring each other's moves, both Tyson and Kano jumped up at the same time, pulling their ripcords and launching their Beyblades into the stadium. Both were immensely powerful Beyblades and sparked and steamed whenever they came into contact. Aside from the noise of the 'blades the area was silence. None of the usual cheer and bravado expressions were heard. Each and everyone around the stadium remained silent, studying the battle. Tyson's 'blade was the first to look like a winner, turning a brighter red each time it was hit and beginning to steam. It spun around and rammed Kano's water 'blade to the edge of the stadium almost knocking it out. Sadly for Tyson all it managed to achieve was to give Kano's Beyblade the energy it needed to launch an even more powerful attack. It spun around the stadium several times before launching into the middle and colliding with Tyson's 'blade knocking it to the edge and letting it spin weakly back into the middle. It hadn't left the stadium, however, and so the battle continued. Words finally returned to Tyson's mouth.

'Come on then. Show us what your Beyblade's made of.'

'I will,' Kano said, showing none of the signs of tension that Tyson was. His brow was furrowed and beads of sweat were dripping down into his eyes. He was trying his best not to show it, but he was nervous. Tyson's heart was racing and blood pumping round his body. There had been very few times in his life that he'd felt like this: when he was sitting his exams; when he had been battling in the final of the Beyblade championship; when he had been with Dizzi. Tyson bit his lip and studied the Beyblades.

Kano's was now gaining the upper hand, bashing into Tyson's 'blade with force like Tyson had never seen but his equally powerful 'blade was holding on. Both players knew it was going to be a close battle. Kano smirked. Tyson grinned. Neither was sure who was going to win. Tyson's Beyblade now began to fight back and this began to worry Kano.

Then one 'blade flew from the stadium. The battle was over.

To be continued…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Five years earlier…_

_It shall come to pass that for each generation that walks this planet, four men will be chosen to protect it with the powers of the elements. Four Beyblades, each forged by the power of Mother Earth, will stand aloft as protection. Four men of strong hearts and minds will protect these 'blades and keep them secure for they keep the balance. Should these 'blades get into the wrong hands then be afraid for the 'blades that stabilise the planet could also destroy it. As leader you were chosen by your blood for your lineage has forever been the protectors of the 'blades. You shall choose the four men you believe have the qualities to protect the world. You shall be either the planet's saviour or the planet's destructor. Remember that as you hold the 'blades. Remember._

The hooded figure flipped over a few more pages of the fragile book he was holding in his grasp. He came to another page.

_Three score years ago there was leader of much bravery who wanted to find out more about the mystical Beyblades. He slaved away at researching the 'blades but still much of their power remained a mystery as it does today. But he found evidence; evidence that led him to the jungles and to the fifth. The power blackened him and he tainted the Opal Beyblades. Only the power of the four mystical warriors managed to overcome him for only they combined had the power. The evil 'blade was returned to the forests never to be looked at again._

The figure closed the book with a thud, a thick cloud of dust launched into the air. He placed it down by the side of the extinguished fire and looked away, pulling from the large pocket of his cowl a Beyblade. It was pure white save for a flash of yellow along the side. It was hot to the touch. The figure smiled. The mystical warriors were on his side and he wouldn't be stopped.

'Dizzara will be mine. Is mine. Will always be mine. And Tyson will die.'

_Three years later…_

Tyson's blade collided with Kano's with such force that it stuttered for a moment, returning to the centre of the stadium. Tyson bit his lip; that collision had been costly. Tyson's blade had now lost a crucial portion of its kinetic energy and he'd failed to make much of an impact on his rival's 'blade. He looked over to his friends hoping to find some strength but they were too busy starting at the stadium. Kenny was systematically biting the nails on his left hand. Tyson looked back to the action. He didn't want to look at the face of Kano as he knew he would see a look of satisfaction.

Tyson's blade hadn't given up though; it was still spinning powerfully around the stadium, occasionally making contact with Kano's 'blade and pushing it away. He knew, however, deep down that Kano had the upper hand. He seemed extremely experienced, though compared to Tyson he shouldn't have been. Tyson realised it must be the power of the 'blade and – like Tyson felt a strong bond with Dragoon – Kano must feel a powerful connection with the energy of his Opal Beyblade. It was with no surprise to Tyson that Kano's Beyblade spun around and knocked his 'blade straight out of the stadium and onto the bare earth, the last kilojoules of energy evaporating quickly as it came to an abrupt halt. Though he wasn't surprised, Tyson was still disappointed. He congratulated Kano through gritted teeth, watching as his rival bent over to retrieve his 'blade from the stadium. It was still spinning.

Kano thrust out his hand.

'_My_ Beyblade please.'

Tyson bent over and picked up the fire 'blade and grudgingly passed it to Kano, who immediately sealed his hand as the Beyblade made contact with his skin. He dropped both 'blades into his kimono pocket and nodded his head.

'You are a good challenger my friend. But you had to lose. That's fate.'

'I am not your friend,' Tyson snarled. 'You're the enemy. The enemy to everyone.'

Kano shrugged.

'That's _your_ opinion. But it's time I bid you farewell. I have battles to win and towns to dominate.'

And with that last sentence, Kano twisted around on his ankle and headed off in the other direction soon disappearing into the trees. Tyson was still stood there watching him walk off, his teeth still rooted together and an expression of anger and disappointment etched into his face. Ray approached him and put his hand on Tyson's shoulder.

'You did your best, Ty,' he said in a gentle reassuring voice. The others in the group were still stood where they'd always been, shuffling about with awkwardness with what to say or do. Kenny began tapping away at his laptop.

'Well it wasn't good enough!' Tyson snarled, forcibly removing Ray's hand from his shoulder and turning. 'Now I've lost the best Beyblade I've ever had. God knows what he'll do with it.'

Ray could only watch and sigh as Tyson stormed off with big and heavy strides back to his house.

'And I've lost my chance to be with Dizzi,' he muttered to himself as the true implications of the loss hit home. A tear dripped from the corner of his eye as he let himself into his house and stormed up to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. Tyson flung himself onto his bed, turned over and tried to sleep. He couldn't. He just burst into tears as he thought about Dizzi. Tyson wasn't concerned with the world. He just wanted love… he wanted Dizzi.

_One week later…_

Tyson hadn't been seen by any of his friends for a week. When Kai, Ray, Max and Kenny decided to go out for an ice-cream Tyson didn't come. When they decided to go to the cinema, Tyson didn't answer his phone. When a big Beyblade battle kicked off in the town Tyson was nowhere to be seen. His phone remained unanswered, his presence unfelt. The four friends kept thinking they'd see him bounding excitedly round a street corner at some point with his Beyblade in hand to battle them but he never appeared. They found themselves sitting on a brick wall seven days after his last sighting mooching around and wondering what to do. Ray decided it was time to break the silence.

'I think I should go round to Tyson's, check he's alright. I think that last battle really shook him up.'

Kai responded with a small grunt. Max and Kenny nodded. Dizzi stayed silent but remained thoughtful. Though she enjoyed being in the laptop and helping out she was still suffering from a strange glitch in her programming code. If she had been in her human form Dizzi would have realised this to be a void left be love. She sighed to herself.

Ray got up from the brick wall, dusted down the back of his trousers and began to walk down the street towards Tyson's house, his hands slotted into his jean pockets. He began to whistle a tune but he soon lost the rhythm as he knocked on Tyson's front door. There was no reply but Ray found the door to be unlocked so he cautiously let himself in.

The door led into the kitchen which Ray found to be deserted. The hall was in a similar state of quietness, as were the stairs which he began to climb. Ray came up to Tyson's door and knocked gently.

'Tyson?' he asked, speaking at the crack of the door. 'Are you in?'

There was the sound of shuffling from the other side.

'Go away!' said the voice, muffled by the sound of a pillow. Ray sighed and tried the handle it was locked.

'I said… go… away,' the voice said. There was the sound of a pillow hitting the door. Ray coughed.

'I'm only here to talk. We're worried about you.'

'I'm fine,' came the response a few seconds later.

'Well you don't sound like it. I'm here to help. Let me in and we can talk. Is it about Dizzi?'

There was the sound of movement from inside the room and then, after about thirty seconds, the door was unlocked and opened. A pale looking Tyson with limp hair and creased pyjamas, looked out at Ray through the slightly ajar door. Ray gave a weak smile.

'I won't stay here long.'

Tyson pulled the door open and stood back to allow Ray to enter the room. Ray immediately saw that the room was in a terrible mess with plates lying about – their contents now reduced to crumbs, half-full glasses on almost every surface and a strange musty smell as if the door or window in the room hadn't been opened since Tyson had entered a week earlier. Ray sat down at Tyson's desk, being careful to remove a half eaten chocolate bar before sitting. He watched in silence as Tyson once more locked his bedroom door and clambered into bed. Then he spoke.

'We're all worried about you. We haven't seen you for a week now.'

'I'm fine.'

'You keep saying that, but I don't think you are.'

Tyson decided to move the conversation on.

'How did you know about Dizzi?'

Ray laughed.

'I'm not blind you know. I saw the figure you were talking to after that battle with the giant 'blades. I saw where she went and I saw your reaction when you kissed. I'm not completely naïve, Tyson. That was Dizzi.'

Tyson bit his lip before he spoke.

'Who else knows?'

'Well they saw her but they don't know who she was. You never told us and you know Kai is hardly likely to pry. You're both very secretive individuals. No one really knows what either of you is thinking at any time.'

Tyson thought about Kai but dismissed the thought in exchange of his brief relationship with Dizzi.

'I miss her, Ray. And that 'Opal Beyblade' was the only way for me to share time with her again. I've messed up completely.'

Ray could see Tyson was on the verge of tears but also saw how he was choking them back. Ray waited a few moments before speaking again.

'Well staying in here like a recluse isn't gonna help yourself or Dizzi. You need to do something.'

'Like what? You've seen me. I've gone to pieces since I met her; I can't even win a stupid Beyblade battle.'

'You're just going through a new experience.'

'What?'

'Love.'

'And what do you know about love?'

'Plenty. And I know that staying in bed – at least without Dizzi there – is not going to achieve anything.'

Ray laughed before stifling his giggling.

'But seriously, if you want to get Dizzi back then you need her out of the laptop and for that you need that 'Opal Beyblade'. It's time we used teamwork to get it back.'

Tyson swallowed heard and recovered the power of speech after his tears.

'What do I need to do?'

Ray smiled.

'Train!'

_Two days later…_

'Come on Tyson,' Ray said, towering over a Beyblade stadium whilst Tyson stood there holding his launcher, the colour back in his face and his hair once more standing erect on his head. 'Snap out of this depression and pull yourself together. This battle is for Dizzi. LET IT RIP!'

Both Tyson and Ray released their respective Beyblades and watched as they duelled it out in the stadium. Tyson comfortably won, his 'blade bashing Ray's own Beyblade out of the stadium. Ray picked it up from the floor and pocketed it.

'You see you're getting better… some more training and you'll be ready to win back Dizzi.'

Tyson smiled. He was getting back his lust for winning and with that his confidence. And, he hoped, this would also bring back Dizzi…

Over the next three weeks Tyson and Ray worked hard, meeting up every day in Tyson's back garden to practice Beyblading on the patio. It was a hard work and not always enjoyable but it was necessary to get Tyson's mind off Dizzi and onto his love of Beyblading. Soon he was back on form and Ray found himself no match for Tyson's skill. Even Kai dropped around one afternoon for some 'friendly' Beyblade battles. They were particularly heated battles but won evenly between the pair. As the sun set on the third weekend, Tyson slumped into his chair exhausted. He turned towards Ray who was stood at the edge of the room wiping his sweat away with a towel.

'Thanks for the help Ray. I'm ready.'

It was like a scene from a film. The sun was setting and casting long shadows on the ground. Five teenagers with one purpose were heading over the hill, just silhouettes against the bright sun. Tyson, Kai, Ray, Max and Kenny were there, walking swiftly and precisely, heading towards their planned destination. It hadn't be difficult to find out where the 'Mystic Warriors' had headed to. All they had to do was follow the stories of elaborate Beyblades and heated battles. This led them to the next town and there they found four men stood in a semicircle around a fountain, taking a refreshment break between battles. One of them – the tallest – turned around on seeing the five dark figures walking towards them. He nudged the man next to him and soon they were all watching the approaching characters with bemusement. Ray turned to Kenny.

'Time to help Tyson get back with Dizzi,' Ray whispered into Kenny's ear. Though still walking Kenny turned to Ray to question that.

'What do you mean?'

'Oh I forgot. You weren't there when I told the others. The one who saved us all from the Beyblade trap all that time ago. That was Dizzi.'

'Dizzi… but how…?' Kenny asked, gesturing to the laptop stored safely in his jacket pocket.

'It's a long story,' Ray said, swapping his gaze between Kenny and the men by the fountain. 'All I say is that if we get the Beyblades back then Tyson and Dizzi can reunite.'

Kenny swallowed.

'Reunite?'

He stopped. The other four turned to face him, their feet ceasing to move as well.

'What's up Kenny?'

'Er… I just remembered something… I have to go. Bye.'

And with that Kenny turned and walked speedily away. The rest shrugged their shoulders; they didn't need him for the battles – it was still four versus four. They all turned back in unison and continued to walk towards their rivals until they met at the edge of the fountain.

'Well well. If it isn't the teenagers,' Kano snorted, spraying Kai with water. 'Come to ask for your ball back?'

The four 'Mystic Warriors' laughed. Tyson, Kai, Max and Ray stood firm.

'In a way, yes,' Tyson said slowly and clearly. 'We're here to battle you for your Opal 'Blades.'

Kano just laughed this off too.

'And why should we accept? What have you got in return?'

'Nothing,' Tyson said bluntly, 'But we know you wouldn't refuse a challenge.'

Kano looked back at the others before looking back at the face of determined faces in front of him.

'Sure!' he said jovially. 'It's not as if you'll beat us. Even if your friends are twice as good as you are we'll win.'

'We'll see,' was all Tyson said. There were a few seconds of awkward shuffling. The sun was almost below the horizon and the shadows of the eight individuals stretched into the distance. All that could be heard was the gentle tinkling of the fountain water. The four warriors stood up firmly and formed a line, pulling their Beyblades from their pockets. The teenagers did the same thing, creating a stand-off in the setting sun.

'Well what are we waiting for?' Kano said, raising his arms. 'LET IT RIP!...'

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Kenny was sat at his desk, his laptop open in front of him, frantically tapping at the keys. Ever since the battle that was fought in the muddy valley over a month ago Kenny had been researching into the mysterious 'Opal Blades', starting with the little knowledge that Dizzi had accumulated in her memory banks and using the Internet on the laptop to build from. He wasn't surprised that they didn't appear on Wikipedia and there were very few mentions on Google. Kenny had found whole days and weeks disappearing in a blur of clicking on web links and having web pages scrolling in front of his eyes, reflected in his thick bottle lens glasses.

In his time as a "computer whiz" (or a "nerd" as Tyson called him when "The Chief" was seemed to be too polite a nickname) he had looked into hacking and cracking but hadn't really done much of it; he didn't feel like it was the right thing to do. But now it was the only thing he could do to answer his questions. As he returned home after his brief time with his four friends, he flung himself down at the computer and began typing furiously, ignoring Dizzi's words of welcome. Kenny soon began breaking into computer networks all over the world after finding an intriguing website mentioning the mystic 'blades. He managed to get onto a computer that revealed some interesting information to him. Kenny was quite glad he had as he was becoming more and more disheartened as he failed to find anything. It was only Dizzi's reassuring comments that spurred him on.

'I don't know what I'd do without you,' he'd told her, typing away. If Dizzi had been in her human form she would have blushed. Still Kenny continued until his eyes lit up behind his spectacles.

'Aha. Here we are. The file on the 'Opal 'blades'.'

Kenny studied passage after passage about the history of the 'Opal Beyblades' absorbing all the information that the Japanese government held on them. Soon he had finished reading and smiled to himself.

'So there is a fifth…'

Kenny closed his laptop up after saying a brief goodbye to Dizzi before switching off the light in his room and heading down the stairs and out of the house. He was off towards the train station in search of something he knew would help him retain the thing closest to his heart. Kenny was off to save Dizzi…

Meanwhile, whilst Kenny was busy breaking into networks all over Japan, Tyson, Kai, Max and Ray were in a stand off with the four Mystic Warriors: Kano, Mamoru, Akira and a fourth individual whom they still didn't know the name of. They were stood by the fountain grinning with their Beyblades in hand, flicking them around their palms with their fingers. They had just won a series of battles against some locals and had taken their Beyblades as prizes and so were smug. They didn't fear the approaching four individuals.

'I don't believe we know your name,' Tyson said with a cocky air to the fourth man dressed from head to toe in black. The man responded by spitting on the tarmac and choking out his name.

'I'm Hisa. And you?'

'Tyson.'

'Nice to meet you Tyson. And how can we help?'

Tyson laughed, rubbing his chin with his free hand whilst flexing his other. He studied Hisa for a moment, the newest addition to the 'Mystic Warriors', recruited by their mysterious young leader as a replacement for Yukio. Finally, after taking in the detail of the four opponents, Tyson spoke:

'We're here for that challenge.'

'Fair enough,' Hisa said, walking forward. He was closely followed by the other three. 'Then… LET IT RIP!'

Kano was the first up, running forward from a standing start and pulling his launcher from a pocket in his cloak. Quick as a flash he launched a Beyblade down to the ground with an expulsion of air from his lungs. In response Max jumped forward and launched his own 'blade which sped forward to meet it, colliding with such force that the earth moved, knocking an unexpecting Max to the ground. Not much was hurt but his pride so he lifted himself from the ground, rubbing his backside as he did so. Kano laughed.

'Let's hope you're better with your Beyblade than you are with your own body!'

The remaining Mystical Warriors all laughed. Max was now even more determined to win, standing fully up and cheering for his Beyblade, a chorus which was surpassed in volume by his friends standing behind him.

Both Beyblades were locked in combat, knocking into each other and sparking. They were running rings around each other, neither making any headway until Max's 'blade began to glow and hover slightly over the ground. Suddenly with very little warning and to Max's surprise as much as anyone else's a jet of water shot out of it and soaked Kano's 'blade which, though possessed by the power of water, was stunned by the attack. Sparking of its own free will, the Beyblade quickly slowed down but didn't come to a stop as they hoped; it was too powerful for that. The 'Opal Beyblade' began to speed up again, dashing around the area and colliding with Max's Beyblade once more. Max knew he had to do something drastic to win the battle. He coughed before announcing:

'Water shield!'

A large bubble manifested itself around Max's 'blade, protecting it from the attacks of Kano's Beyblade, forcing it away with each collision and soaking it more and more. Soon the opposing 'blade could take no more of the water and began to stutter once more though annoyingly for Max still held on for victory. Max prepared for the conclusion to the battle.

'Give up Kano! You can see it's over!'

'Never. My Beyblade will come back from this!'

But it was one more collision with the water shield that sealed the Beyblade's fate. Now dripping with water, the Beyblade slipped into a recess in the soft ground and began spinning like a top, sparking all the time and setting some nearby grass alight, coming to a full stop within inches of Max's 'blade which continued spinning triumphantly. Max proudly walked over and stopped his from spinning, scooping it up from the ground with Kano's. His rival gave a growl and spoke through gritted teeth:

'Well done. You've proven yourself a reasonable player. However I think you'll find my acquaintances more of a challenge.'

Kano turned around, his battered ego showing, and returned to the safety of the fountain where he sprayed himself with water. His pale face showed his concern of what the leader would say – and do to him – when he returned to the temple. Kano tried his best not to show his anxiety but it was obvious to anyone as he sat on the edge of the fountain and watched the action through squinted eyes.

Mamou – who was palming the 'Opal Beyblade' of Earth as he walked from the fountain – was up next. No one could tell if he was feeling anxious as his face was already lined considerably from years of stress on the Japanese black market circuit. He stood with a slight hunchback and spoke in a gruff tone that masked any emotion he was feeling. All in all Mamou was a difficult character to evaluate.

'See what you make of this!' he said confidentially, pulling an old and scuffed launcher from his pocket. Despite its age it launched a Beyblade to the ground with much force. Ray, who was up next, matched the effort by whipping out his newer launcher and propelling his own 'blade down to meet it. The second battle was on.

Max had stepped back to join Tyson and Kai – who were maintaining a respectful silence by sharing nothing but the odd grunt – feeling pleased with himself that he had managed to start off the competition well and steal one of the 'Opal Beyblades'. He just hoped now that Ray would be able to put up an equal feat.

Ray was stood by the circle of ground where the action was taken place, the band around his head hiding any sign of sweating. He didn't feel that nervous; he was a confident player anyway but was boosted anyway by the thought that his friends were behind him all the way. Ray figured that the Mystical Warriors didn't have such a strong bond, as they seemed like four distinct individuals. He was right as they didn't really know each other having been plucked out of the air by the leader to serve this cause. But even if this bond wasn't strong they were still formidable opponents as Ray found out when their 'blades collided for the first time, letting off sparks of flame that shot into the air much to the awe of the other Beybladers. These flames circled in the air creating a tall spiral of burning ash that rose up into the air before extinguishing itself. For the remainder of the battle clouds of smoke would drift in between the Beybladers and ash would fall onto their clothing, charring it slightly. But neither Ray nor Mamou really cared as their eyes and senses were all fixed upon their Beyblades which continued to spin around the ground, etching grooves in the soft earth, bashing into each other every few seconds, sparks flying off as their metal casings touched. There was silence all around aside from the occasional rustle of trees, footsteps of local villagers or the gasps of the audience. It was a tense match and even the cool exterior of Ray was beginning to peel away.

'I've had enough of this now Mamou,' Ray said, picking up his name from the mutterings of the Mystic Warriors that had invaded the battle space. 'Time for you to lose this match! I call my Bit Beast: Driger!'

As soon as those words left Ray's mouth, his 'blade began to spin much more furiously, emitting a bright light that made Kai, Tyson and Max cover their eyes with their arms, attempting to squint through the gap to try and see what was happening, but it was useless. As the light faded, Driger appeared, growling and pawing at the ground, preparing itself. It quickly established where Mamou's 'Beyblade' was and propelled itself forward, it's large and heavy paws making much work of its dash across. But Mamou didn't flinch; instead, a small smile flickered in the corner of his mouth. He coughed to clear his throat.

'You think that you're pussycat can outsmart _my _Opal 'blade? Then see this… feel the true power of my 'blade.'

_He doesn't know what's going to hit him. The fool._

Now, as Driger approached it, bearing down on the small Beyblade, Mamou's 'blade began to emit a high pitched squeal which distracted Driger and caused some uncomfort for all concerned. The sound disappeared as quickly as it had begun but was promptly replaced by the sound of cracking earth. A dark line appeared from the tip of Mamou's 'blade which quickly spread towards Ray's Beyblade, opening up as it did so. Huge chunks of earth began falling down into a recess that was growing and growing. Ray bit his lip and began to worry that victory was slipping away. Mamou just laughed as Ray's inner thoughts began to question his tactics.

_This shouldn't be happening. Driger should be winning. We're more experienced. Sure their 'blades are more powerful but that's not the be-all and end-all. Come on Ray; pull yourself together. You can win this!_

But for all of Ray's self-encouragement, the battle was quickly turning away from him and into the palm of a sneering Mamou.

_I will win this Ray. You know I will._

The crack in the earth was quickly becoming a chasm, spreading out in all directions and heading very near to Ray himself as well as his Beyblade. Driger, meanwhile, was dancing athletically over the cracks, trying valiantly to reach Mamou's Opal Beyblade which was still spinning at an alarming speed. Driger's paws slammed down onto the constantly weakening ground, making cracks appear wherever he landed. Soon Driger found himself trapped in a corner with nowhere to go. The ground gave way and Driger, with a yelp more associated with a harmless kitten than a dangerous Bit Beast, fell unceremoniously into the pit. Ray let out a howl and watched as his 'blade began to slow down. Mamou laughed; he knew victory was in his grasp. But then, something strange happened: Ray's Beyblade began to speed up and regain some of its lost power, once more spinning around the stadium avoiding the cracks and cutting trails through the ash that was still falling. Mamou's 'blade neared a crack and skirted along the edge and that's when it happened. A large white paw emerged from the chasm and grabbed the 'blade, pulling it into the hole and releasing it. Driger pounced from the hole and landed, exhausted, on a stable patch of ground having clambered up the inside of the cavern. Mamou shouted an extended 'No' as he realised he had been defeated. A surge of power shot the Opal Beyblade out of the hole and into the hand of Ray, who winced at its hot touch. He slipped the newly acquired Beyblade into his pocket and bent down to stroke a purring Driger on the head, who promptly returned into the 'blade which Ray picked up and also added to his pocket. The two challengers stood staring at each other through the smoke billowing up from the caverns. Through gritted teeth Mamou spoke:

'Well done. You've proven yourself worthy.'

'To you maybe!' interrupted the third Mystical Warrior, Akira. He had walked quickly up to Mamou's side, pushed him backward and waved his fist angrily at Ray. 'To me you were lucky. Saved by the sheer power of your Bit Beast and not by your skill.'

'My bit beast is me!' Ray hit back with. 'We're one and the same. We have a connection you can't possibly imagine!'

Akira laughed.

'Don't talk rubbish to me, boy! Get back to the safety of your friends and bring me someone who can be a real challenge to me.'

Ray was almost ready to do another battle straight away even though he knew he was too tired. He felt with some relief when Kai tapped him on the shoulder and, with a whisper in his ear, told him to rest. Though Ray outwardly showed annoyance at not being able to wipe the smirk from Akira's face, he was actually happy to have a break. He knew Driger needed it. Kai, however, seemed to have a different opinion on the whole matter.

'Ray isn't the one to challenge you. I am!'

'Very well my friend. I don't mind who I defeat.'

'I – am – not – your – friend,' Kai said with no hint of emotion in his voice except for a rise in volume with each word. 'LET IT RIP!'

Kai quickly removed his launcher from his back pocket and let his Beyblade fly, the gust from it blowing his hair backwards, exposing the lines of determination on his forehead. His Beyblade flew through the air and landed with a thud on the ground, losing a little energy as steam. Akira laughed cockily and jumped nearer to the stadium, stamping on the ground and launching his Beyblade which began to glow red, landing on the ground. The cracks in the ground began to seal as the Beyblades battled, the power of the Opal 'Blades restoring it to stable ground within ten seconds, but not quick enough for Akira's Beyblade to hit one of the cracks and spin off in an unplanned direction. Akira cursed under his breath but continued on.

'Give it up now, Kai! You will not beat my Beyblade of fire!'

As Akira said that, a black substance – later to be identified as oil – began to spill out of the Beyblade as it spun in a circle. Then, the Beyblade began to glow red, a shot of red flame burst from the Beyblade and set the oil alight, creating a large ring of fire as the boundary for the stadium. Kai frowned as he tried to look through the flames to see the battle but found it difficult with the six foot flames that danced around, casting their shadows over much of the action. He quickly realised that this battle would be taking place behind the wall of flames and that he would be blind to the action. Kai didn't let any of his worry show though; he was as calm as ever even when Tyson, Max and Ray were stood behind him talking noisily about what Kai would do next. Kai just raised his arm to silence them and then said with determination:

'Dranzer. Do your stuff!'

With the visibility poor with clouds of black acrid smoke rising from the stadium Kai could only hope that that had been an appropriate time to launch his Bit Beast. But whatever the outcome would be, there was no going back now. In the stadium, Dranzer burst out of the Beyblade and flew into the air, rising above the flames and making his presence known to a cool and confident Kai who only had one thing in mind: victory. Akira just laughed and spoke, though wasn't heard over the sound of crackling flames and spinning Beyblades.

'You think your pathetic bird will stop my Beyblade? Your Phoenix won't be rising from the ashes but will become them. This is the end Kai!'

_You think you're so good, Akira. You don't know the power of Dranzer._

Behind the cloak of fire, a fierce Beyblade battle was taking place. Both Kai's and Akira's Beyblade were smashing into each other every few seconds, energy dissipating left, right and centre. Dranzer was flying around above the action, breathing fire in the direction of the Opal Beyblade which was, in turn, sending bolts of fire in the phoenix's direction. Dranzer knew – and it was these thoughts that Kai was picking up on as he stared into the flames – that it was very much a stalemate and it would be whoever made the first mistake that would lose. The flames were reflected in Kai's pupils as he entered a hypnotic state, feeling everything his Bit Beast was: emotion, worry and heat. He gritted his teeth and ordered Dranzer with the power of his mind. Kai knew it was useless to shout the command because of the noise all around. Instead, he transmitted his thoughts to Dranzer.

_Dranzer. If you can hear me, then move away. It's fire bolts can only reach so far whereas yours are more powerful. You CAN beat it. I know you can._

Dranzer mentally heard what Kai was saying and began to ascend, moving up away from the 'blades range and just below the cloud of acrid smoke that was collecting, making the stadium increasingly dark and menacing. But Dranzer had no fear and continued to send streams of fire down at the Beyblade which was powerless to respond, though it was making headway down on the ground with actual physical contact with Kai's 'blade. It was still very much a stalemate.

Both Akira and Kai were tiring of the battle; there needed to be a resolution. Neither wanted a draw and neither would be happy with one… there had to be a winner; there was too much at stake. Whilst they stood on the sidelines thinking, the heat from the flames warming their clothes, their Beyblades were fighting fiercely in the enclosed stadium, stuttering slightly with the increasing heat and the attacks from Akira's 'blade and, of course, Dranzer. Both Beyblades were beginning to slow and it seemed that one of them was going to fail shortly. Kai smiled; he knew it wouldn't be his Beyblade that would stumble first even when he couldn't see the 'blades. The others weren't too sure. Max decided to intervene.

'Draciel. Water attack!'

Max had removed his Beyblade from his pocket and pointed it at the action. Draciel burst out from it and sent a jet of water that hit the stadium immediately extinguishing all the flames but also filling the air up with lots of smoke and steam. The stadium soon cleared and the battle between the two Beyblades became visible once more. Draciel returned to the Beyblade, its work done, and Max stood back. Kai turned around to face him, his neck bulging and his eyes distant.

'What the hell do you think you're doing? THIS IS MY BATTLE. Keep out of it. Now you've ruined it. You want me to win? Well you've just lost me this battle!'

Kai looked back at the action seeing both his and Akira's Beyblade coming to a stop. For the first time in many weeks his cool exterior was about to crack.

_I will win this. But look at what Max has done._

Akira was also thinking to himself.

_This is it. I have proved that power beats teamwork._

Kai cursed as Akira shouted a similar statement across the stadium now that the hissing had subsided and they could hear each other. Kai shouted:

'Dranzer. Attack!'

Kai and Akira watched as Dranzer swooped down and attacked the Opal Beyblade with a series of powerful blasts of flame, toasting Akira's 'blade and forcing it to come to a gentle stop just ahead of Kai's which stopped a mere few seconds after. Dranzer flew up and back down into Kai's Beyblade as it came to its stop. Akira swore loudly and watched through narrow eyes as Kai walked casually forward and picked up both Beyblades. He said nothing as he turned and returned to his team mates, but he did give Max a very sharp expression that communicated all his anger without a syllable leaving his lips. The group remained silent as they watched Akira limp back to the other warriors, though this silence was broken when a figure approached Max, Ray, Kai and Tyson. It was Kenny.

'Alright Kenny. In a hurry somewhere?' Max asked, avoiding the gaze of Kai, noticing Kenny seemed out of breath. Kenny nodded and stopped by the group to gain his breath.

'I need to go and get something important,' he said, looking over at Tyson, blinking and quickly looking down to the ground. 'I need to head to the woods. I won't be long.'

'But you'll stay for Tyson's match, won't you Kenny?'

Kenny looked hesitant.

'I suppose so, only if it won't take long.'

'It won't!' Tyson piped up confidentially, tossing his Beyblade up in the air with an air of conceitedness. Kenny was about to respond when there were footsteps behind him. The group all turned to see the Mystical Warriors standing there; three of them were clearly bitter, one confident but still nervous.

'Are we going to finish these battles or what?' the fourth warrior asked, his fingers itching to play. He looked down at Kenny.

'Hey. A new one. Here to challenge?'

'No. Just to watch.'

The corner of his lips twinged as his brain picked up on something.

'Don't I know you from somewhere?'

'Who? Kenny? He's been with us before,' Ray explained.

'Well Kevin…'

'It's Kenny.'

'Whatever. You're about to see your friend beaten. Are you ready, Tyson?'

'I am.'

'Well let the battle commence…'

The fourth Beyblader of the Mystical Warriors walked around to the other side of the stadium.

'And don't forget 'cos you only met me today. My name is Hisa. Remember that name. It's the name of the one who will beat you!'

Tyson laughed.

'I don't think so. _You_ should remember three words. Three words that will start off your defeat.'

'And those are?' Hisa asked with a cock of his head.

'LET IT RIP! of course', bellowed Tyson as he launched his Beyblade onto the charred earth.

'Of course!' laughed Hisa. 'Let it rip!'

He too released his Beyblade and it flew onto the ground and collided with Tyson's before they both rebounded off and away. The fourth and final Beyblade battle had begun and everyone around the stadium knew that it would be the closest and most harshly fought yet…

Tyson stepped forward and his eyes narrowed, watching his Beyblade spinning quickly around the ground, successfully avoiding the 'blade of Hisa. Hisa wasn't looking too worried; in fact, he was the other way, smiling and looking confident with his hand perched on his hips. Hisa thrust out his arm.

'Prepare to lose Tyson!' he cackled, his voice echoing around the nearby trees. Tyson scoffed at his remarks.

'Why should I be scared of you?' he replied, waving his arms about but all the time still watching the Beyblades. 'You may have a more powerful Beyblade but you don't have a Bit Beast and you don't have the connection I have with Dragoon. You will lose!'

'We'll see about that!' Hisa laughed. Tyson didn't reply. He just adjusted his hat and stepped closer to the stadium area. Behind him Max, Ray, Kai and Kenny were watching intently. Kai occasionally glanced over to Max, still annoyed that he had interfered in his battle though knowing deep down Max probably won it for him, though he did not want to admit this, even to himself.

Tyson moved to his left and began cheering for his Beyblade. Neither of the 'blades in the battle were touching the other as they seemed to be keeping a healthy distance from each other; sadly this didn't make for an exciting battle and soon both Tyson and Hisa were frustrated with the lack of action. Tyson decided to be the first to try and remedy the situation.

'Evolution storm!' he screamed, his voice bouncing off every wall and tree in the local area. A cry of admiration came from behind him as the rest of the group awaited the attack. In the stadium, Tyson's 'blade began to spin much more furiously, whipping up a tornado that gradually got bigger and bigger, sucking up more and more of the dust from the ground and making the wind funnel dirtier and dirtier, and thus making it more difficult to see the Beyblade at the source of it. After only a few seconds, before Hisa could react, his Beyblade had been sucked into the wind and was spinning uncontrollably around. Tyson's 'blade began to lift up from the ground to battle, both Beyblades moving furiously around, hitting each other and sending sparks into the air. They began getting higher and higher into the air and everyone watching the battle found themselves having to crane their necks more and more to be able to see the unfolding action. Max and Ray thrust their arms in front of their eyes to shield themselves from the bright sun above, the Beyblades disappearing in the white-out caused by the glowing orb in the sky. Tyson pulled his cap further over his head to try and get a better look at the events but found it was still impossible to see. All that could be ascertained was the sound of Beyblade hitting Beyblade. Hisa shouted and prepared for a counterattack, trying to concentrate over the mutterings of the other 'Mystical Warriors' behind him who appeared to be plotting something, looking across the stadium at the other Beybladers with a wry smile drifting over the face of one of them. Hisa ignored them, shouting out:

'You call that an attack? Have you not seen this?'

Suddenly, there was an object in the sky brighter than the sun: Hisa's Beyblade. It began glowing a brilliant white, the heat from it affecting the performance of Tyson's 'blade. Then, without warning, the 'blade emitted a howl and an amazing storm whipped up, blowing all the trees around, messing everyone's hair and blowing Tyson's cap off his head and across the ground. Kenny, though his eyes were half closed with the force of the wind, managed to grab the cap as he passed by. He gripped it tightly in his hand and thought about something as he stared at the red cap.

The wind was getting stronger and Tyson's 'evolution storm' attack was losing its power, the funnel reducing in height and forcing both Beyblades back down to the ground. Within sixty seconds both Beyblades were back on terra firma, spinning around and colliding with each other but both had lost a lot of energy and were not spinning with anything like the power they had before. Hisa's 'blade had ceased glowing and returning to its earlier grey colour. Tyson realised that the match was as close as ever and he needed to do something to once more tip the odds into his favour. He knew it was time to call on his Bit Beast.

'Dragoon! It's time for us to show this amateur what it means to lose!'

Hisa just laughed off his cocky comment.

'Amateur? I don't think so. I've won more battles in the last week than you have in your lifetime!'

'But I haven't been playing for evil means. I play for the love of the game; for the love of Beyblading. That's why I will win. Dragoon – attack!'

Dragoon emerged from Tyson's Beyblade and immediately launched an attack on his opponents 'blade, ramming it to the ground. Hisa tried to fight back with a wind attack but, aside from messing up Tyson's uncapped hair, it had little effect against the power of Dragoon who laughed it off with a growl, pawing at the Beyblade and removing another large chunk of its energy.

'Enough of this!' screamed Hisa, his mouth flapping in the powerful wind. 'This ends now! Wind attack!'

The force of the wind started getting much stronger, whipping up an even bigger tornado than Tyson's 'evolution storm' special attack. Even Tyson had to admit that he was in awe of such an attack as dust was picked up from the ground and spun around with a great amount of centrifugal force. He would have counteracted, though, with a bravado comment but the dust that was being picked up was choking him and he could do nothing but cough. In fact, everyone in that area was choking, using any clothing they could to shield their mouth and nose. Ray had removed his headband and was using it to cover his face. Kai had turned his back and frowned.

Hisa could be heard behind the sandstorm attempting to laugh but making himself choke in the process. Tyson would have laughed at his stupidity if he could have got a word out. The storm was now engulfing everyone and the Beyblade battle couldn't even be seen. There was a shout and a thud and the sound of footsteps. Tyson looked around but couldn't figure out what it was; besides, he had enough trouble seeing his hand in front of him, which he had thrust out in a vain attempt to blow away some of the debris. He, of course, failed.

Tyson began trying to make some progress through the sandstorm, heading in the direction that he imagined the battle was taking place though he could hear nothing of the attacks over the sound of the whooshing wind, the swirling sand and the thud of clods of earth being lifted into the air, but still he progressed, his arm thrust in front of his face as protection, slowly walking through the storm. Tyson was relieved when he finally made it into the eye of the storm, his hair choked with dust and debris and his clothes dirty beyond belief.

In the centre of the tornado were the two Beyblades, the wind having had a serious effect on them as they were both slowing down and, as Tyson reached them, were almost at a stop. He watched with satisfaction as Hisa's was the first to slow down and stop. Tyson scooped it up with a smile on his sand-covered face before picking his own up and pocketing both of them. As the battle was now over, the sandstorm began to retreat into itself and, after about two minutes, disappeared into nothing on the floor, the only clue of it ever being there were the swirls of sand on the ground and the large pieces of earth deposited at random places. Tyson looked over to his challenger but found he had disappeared with the other Mystical Warriors.

'Pah!' Tyson snorted, a large amount of sand pouring from his nose. 'The cowards. Didn't want to face the fact that we beat every last one of them!'

Tyson laughed heartily before he turned round to face his team mates, but what he saw removed any victory happiness from his soul. Tyson dashed over to the team, where Kenny was lying on the floor dazed and confused.

'What's happened?' Tyson asked, looking at Max, Ray and Kai for some sort of answer. They all shook their heads.

'We didn't see because of all the sand,' Max revealed. Tyson dropped into a crouching position to talk to Kenny, who was sitting on the ground with his head supported by his left hand.

'What happened?'

Kenny shook his head and spoke slowly.

'One of them hit me and – they've taken Dizzi.'

'Dizzi…' Tyson said, his pupils narrowing and a sick feeling developing in his stomach. 'Where've they taken her?'

'I don't know,' Kenny said, struggling to get up onto his feet and stumbling a couple of times. 'But I know how to get her back. I must go and go to where I was supposed to. The fifth can help me. The fifth can help me.'

Kenny began to walk awkwardly off in the direction of the trees, still having trouble with his movement, but this would pass. Tyson lifted himself back into a standing position trying to make sense of Kenny's words but failing.

'Kenny won't be able to get Dizzi back. It'll have to be down to us. We MUST get her back.'

Tyson turned, standing in front of Max, Ray and Kai. Though he was tired after the battle Tyson knew he had to do something. He had only agreed to the battles to win back the Opal Beyblades so he could free Dizzi from the laptop and be with her once more, for longer than the thirty seconds he had spent with her physical presence so far. He could picture her pretty face and her curves; her smiling face seemed magical to him. Tyson had to do something. He began walking, following by his three team mates, slotting his cap back on as he did so. The 'Mystical Warriors' had left too many footprints in the sand to get away for long. Tyson was after them and he would get Dizzi back if it killed him. Little did he realise as the four young adults walked through the trees that that statement could be more than a figure of speech…

* * *

Apologies for the delay in the appearance of this. As you can see it's a long chapter, the longest so far infact, plus I've been up to other things. Chapter nine will be appearing much sooner... Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please review whether you like it or not!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The trees were getting nearer and nearer together and made walking through the wood harder and harder. Kenny found his top was getting snagged on the sharp tree branches and twigs every few metres and he was finding it increasingly annoying. At one point his glasses even fell from his head onto the grassy floor below his stomping feet. Kenny bent down, picked them up, slotted them back on his head and continued, with only one thought in his mind. Even now something felt different like he should have his laptop with him, but it was absent from his person having been stolen by the Mystical Warriors. Kenny knew there was only one thing to do and that was to continue through the wood with its trees that looked like hooded figures staring menacingly across him. It was a truly unnerving situation especially when Kenny nearly slipped down into a rabbit hole, narrowly avoiding twisting his ankle. It was only determination that kept him walking quickly, dodging between trees and avoiding the odd woodland animal that dashed across his path. Sweat was pouring from his head and dripping onto the twigs below. But soon he was at where he wanted to be; the edge of an ancient stone temple with moss growing out of every one of the many cracks in the stonework. Kenny could hear the sound of trickling water coming from somewhere but he couldn't place the noise; the area was just too echoey.

This didn't bother him much though. He was here and 'here' was the salvation of Dizzi for within the walls of the temple was secured the fifth Opal Beyblade; the Beyblade Kenny needed to make sure Dizzi would never leave him again, something that made him very happy. So why then was he feeling slightly deflated and had a sick feeling in his stomach? Kenny shook these thoughts from his head and walked over to the two large ornate doors, pushing one open with all his strength. The load creaking noise echoed all around the wooded area causing a flutter of feathers as a bird flew for safety from one of the trees. Kenny rolled his eyes and entered the temple through the narrow opening the stiff door had given him…

Whilst Kenny was searching for the fruits of his research, Tyson, closely followed by Max, Ray and Kai, was hot on the trail of the Mystical Warriors, following their fresh footprints in the mud, hoping to catch up with them shortly. His face was a picture; a picture of a gargoyle contorted in anger. His pupils barely moved; he did not blink. His mouth was curled up. Tyson wanted the laptop back – and thus Dizzi – else all his hard work had been for nothing. His chest felt tight and he realised that it was love that was spurring him on; Tyson had felt nothing like it before and realised what caring for another individual meant. It meant he would do anything to get her back even if that meant taking on every one of the Mystical Warriors in a hand-to-hand fight. Tyson was that determined.

The mud path that they were following ultimately faded into a trail of broken leaves and twigs. The path that the Mystical Warriors had followed, however, was still clear from the snapped branches off the trees. Tyson grazed his elbow on some particularly rough bark and snagged his hair on more than one occasion but he didn't care; the thought of what could happen to Dizzi was having an anaesthetising effect on him. Max, Ray and Kai could only follow behind, pulling their clothes tightly to keep out the cold, wondering just what their friend and team mate was planning to do, not that Tyson even knew himself. All he knew was that he had to continue and get to Dizzi. It was only a few more footsteps until he was there. The trees began getting less regular and soon the wood began to fade, opening into a grassy area. As Tyson left he was hit by a sudden gust of wind that blew his hat off into the trees. He didn't have the time to pick it up.

Tyson took several steps away from the nearest tree as his friends emerged from the gloom of the wood, pointing angrily at the Mystical Warriors. He quickly realised that they were stood on the edge of a cliff, the wind coming up from the sea below blowing their clothing about which was already damp from the fret. Tyson bellowed at them:

'What was the bloody point in that? In stealing the laptop? Just 'cos you lost the battle?'

Tyson could feel his blood pressure rising as he stood there; his heart rate had already increased dramatically. Hisa, who Tyson had finished battling only five minutes previously, stepped forward and laughed, pointing back at Tyson.

'We had orders to get that laptop.'

'Who from?'

'That's none of your business.'

Tyson bit his lip. The fist of the hand that was still by his side, clenched.

'I think you'll find it is my business. Inside that laptop is a good friend… maybe more… and you have dared take that from another friend. Friendship might mean nothing to you four but it does to us. Now admit defeat gracefully and hand me back that laptop.'

Hisa just laughed.

'Aw… the kid's in love.'

The other four joined in the laughter, their faces infuriating an already red-faced Tyson even more.

'I don't suppose he'd appreciate us throwing the laptop over the cliff then, would he?' mused Kano. The other four laughed. Tyson's anger dissipated quickly, his face just showing horror.

'You wouldn't dare…'

'Try us.'

Tyson opened his mouth to reply but closed it again, thinking better of himself. He needed a plan and quickly but he daren't look back to his friends who were stood like statues behind him letting Tyson fight his own battle. In truth they were worried about the outcome. Tyson took another two steps forward.

'This ends now. Give me back that laptop. I need to speak to Dizzi…'

'And it's precisely that reaction that has got you into this trouble in the first place.'

A figure had emerged from another section of the trees, walking forward and turning to face Tyson. Their face, and much of their body, was obscured by a thick cowl. The Mystical Warriors all bowed their heads.

'Leader.'

Tyson's worried face turned to a perplexed one. He looked from the man in the cowl to the four bowing warriors and back to 'the leader' just as the men lifted their heads once more. The leader gave a sinister laugh.

'For three years I've been training these men and others to use the Opal Blades to take over this pathetic country and then the whole pointless world to try and turn it into something useful but none of them seem to manage it. Now that you four have stolen the 'blades from the current warriors they are no use to me and should just jump off that cliff and be done with it. Now I'd like to recruit _you_ four to be the next generation of 'Opal Beybladers'.

Tyson just scoffed, a gesture repeated by the three Beybladers behind him.

'We would never join your regime.'

The leader sighed.

'That's a pity; you are four excellent Beybladers. You'd do well. In that case I'll have to go back to my original aim before world domination came into my sights…'

'And what would that be?' Tyson asked, the sick feeling in his stomach returning as he feared the man's response.

'To finally make sure you and your 'friend' – and I use the word with my tongue firmly in cheek – never meet again. Boys… you have one more use. I don't really want to say this but it seems I have no choice. I have to commit the ultimate sacrifice. Over the cliff the laptop has to go…'

'Anything you say, leader.'

Kano turned to throw the laptop into the bubbling waters below. If the sound of the waves crashing on the cliff below hadn't been as loud as they were, he would have heard a slight whimper coming from Dizzi. But Kano had no emotions that way so would have dismissed it if he had. Tyson, however, was overcome with his emotions.

'Kano! No!'

He ran forward at Kano. The leader thrust out his arm and shouted:

'Kano! Do it!'

Kano pushed his arm back and was about to throw it when Tyson reached him and yanked at his jacket, pulling him to the ground, punching him once in the head and trying to wrestle the laptop from him. Tyson and Kano began rolling across the ground exchanging punches and hits, all the time getting covered in mud and staining their clothes with the green of the grass. Max let out a squeal of panic as they neared the cliff edge; Tyson pushed Kano the other way and once more tried to take the laptop but Kano's grip was too strong. Tyson bubbled over with anger and began being much more forceful with Kano but whereas he would have outclassed him in the Beyblade stadium he was no match for his muscles. Kano threw Tyson off him and he landed on his back dazed at the edge of the cliff. With the ground crumbling by his side Tyson got back onto his feet, dusted down his trousers as best he could and challenged Kano.

'Come on then. If you think you're so good, push me over the cliff.'

'Don't mind if I do.'

Kano proceeded to charge at Tyson, whose narrow eyes and distant pupils told of the fear inside. Tyson swallowed hard and rolled out the way, watching Kano – who was clearly all brawn and no brain – try to stop but slipping over the edge, twisting just in time to grab hold of the edge. Now he was dangling from the eroding edge of the cliff, one hand securely holding on, digging into the earth, the other holding the laptop on the surface. Everyone else around was frozen to whichever spot they were standing on, unable to move to help. Even the leader seemed transfixed by the evolving circumstances. Tyson was jubilant though, bending down to pick up the laptop, securing it in his right hand. He turned to face the three Mystical Warriors and the leader.

'You should have just left the laptop with us and avoided all of this.'

Tyson was about to walk away when he suddenly felt something grasp his ankle; it was Kano's free hand that had, up to now, been preoccupied with securing the laptop. Now it was free to do his life's last piece of dirty work. Tyson turned his head and torso to see Kano's other hand struggling to hold on. Sweat was pouring off Kano's face and a sense of inevitability was etched into his face.

'If I'm going to go, I'm taking you with me.'

Kano's other hand finally lost grip and he slipped from the edge of the cliff, his eyes distant and empty, his falling weight pulling Tyson with him who had no recourse to the unfolding events but to slip off the edge. A last minute tug managed to free his ankle from Kano's grip but it was too late; Tyson was off the cliff. He twisted his body and grabbed onto the edge of the cliff, dropping the laptop. There was a splash but it wasn't the laptop; it was Kano's body landing on the rocks below and then slipping into the sea to drift away to his final resting place.

'Tyson!' screamed Max, running towards the edge with Ray and Kai. Their path was blocked, however, by the three Mystical Warriors, separating them from Tyson… and the leader, who had beaten them to the edge to stare down at a worried Tyson to laugh.

'Well well well. Who'd have thought it would end up like this? One of the best Beybladers ever to walk the earth hanging on to life like this. Oh, and with your love down there. Crushed on the rocks below.'

Tyson gritted his teeth. He couldn't see that the laptop had got wedged in the cliff and not destroyed. He wasn't to know the leader wasn't telling the truth, not that the leader was aware of this chance fact either.

'I'm sorry about this Tyson but we can't help how our lives pan out. Some of are destined for greatness; to become famous; to do something. Others just find themselves skirting greatness and ultimately preparing for a fall.

'There is just one thing I would like to say to you though before you die, Tyson.'

The leader grasped the edges of his hood and pulled it back, exposing his face to Tyson for the first time. Tyson's eyes quickly widened and he gasped.

'No. No. It's not possible. It can't be… you… you…'

The edge of the cliff began to give away and Tyson could feel his grip loosening as the earth crumbled away. He took one last shot at salvation by using the muscles in his arms to lift himself back up but with the leader there preventing him from clambering back up it was hopeless. Tyson made a half-hearted attempt at grabbing the cowl of the leader but failed to get a good enough grip, not even managing to topple the leader over. His hands came away and he fell back, a silent scream etched into his face. He felt something in his hand as he fell… fell out of view of the leader. There was a splash. The leader laughed.

He put his hood back up and turned to join the three remaining Mystical Warriors.

'Sorry my friends. But that's the end of Tyson. He should not have messed with things he couldn't handle.'

The leader and the three warriors walked slowly away back into the woods, disappearing into the trees. Only the other three heard his final words.

'But don't think you three have escaped justice. Your fates will just be as bad as Kano's…'

The faces of the Mystical Warriors all paled at the same time as they realised, just like the last few generations of their kind, that they too had failed and would face the ultimate punishment. Some power had been stopping them, like the Warriors before them, from taking on the leader… a power that they could feel fading… they decided to act…

Max, Ray and Kai all walked to the edge of the cliff but there was nothing to see but the water swirling and gushing over the rocks. There was just nothing to see. Max raised his hand to his mouth and stifled a sob. Even Kai, ever solid, felt his lip quiver and his heart rate quicken. A lump appeared in his throat and he found himself having to turn away from the edge and walk towards the wood where he spotted Tyson's cap, blown from his head by the coastal wind as they had left the wood what seemed like hours earlier though it had only been five minutes, if that. Kai picked up the cap, turned it over in his hands, and closed his eyes, looking up to the sky. He'd never felt like this before, his hard exterior cracking. He shed a tear for the first time in many many years.

To be continued…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

_One week later…_

In the absence of a body the village had just erected a small stone cross in the cemetery emblazoned with the name 'Tyson Granger', his year of birth and death and just a basic 'In Loving Memory'. It wasn't flash or anything but summed up Tyson's death. Everybody in the village, whether they were close to him or not, was saddened by the events of a week earlier and now only had memories of the young man with his spikes of blue hair that a small baseball cap attempted to reign in.

His funeral had been a quiet ceremony attended only by his closest friends and family. Tyson's grandfather was at the front of the congregation who were gathered in the blustery graveyard with leaves whipping up into the air. The man standing next to him watched them casually float to the ground before tightening up his coat to keep out the chill and whistling nervously to himself. This was Tyson's dad who had, naturally, returned from his latest archaeology trip to say goodbye to his son, a son who he feared he didn't really know because of his long trips abroad. Tyson's father sighed as he thought back to his son's beaming face, the first thing he would see upon returning to the country and entering their home.

Behind Tyson's two closest family members were his best friends: Max, Ray and Kai, all standing in thick coats with their gloved hands by their sides, nervously looking around the barren and depressing square of grass, soil and stone that was the local graveyard. They had never imagined that they would be standing here. Then again they'd never imagined that they would have had to walk through the forest to break the news to Tyson's grandfather that he had passed away. They had never imagined a search of the waters by the cliff would not turn up Tyson's body. They had never imagined that the events of the last weeks would have ended in this. Max sighed as he choked back a tear, trying to avoid looking at Tyson's grave as best as he could. He was nervous about the next few minutes as he would have to get up in front of these people who knew Tyson dearly – his family, his friends and behind them acquaintances and villagers – and speak about him. He didn't enjoy speaking in front of lots of people and this cold Autumnal morning was no different.

Tyson's father had already given an emotional speech five minutes previously, choking back the tears as he spoke about the son he had lost, his hand resting on the gravestone as if he was putting his arm around his child. By the end of his speech, which had gone from his sparse notes held on a scrappy piece of paper in his left hand to a more off-the-cuff and from the heart speech, Tyson's father had become unable to speak and so returned to standing by his own father. When the time came, Tyson's grandfather tapped Max on the shoulder.

'You ready?'

Max nodded, swallowing hard and walking away from Ray and Kai to stand by the stone.

'Erm…' was all he could manage as he tried to think of how to start. The wind in the graveyard was making the hairs on his arms stand on end, making the already uncomfortable situation even more nerve-racking. 'I don't really know what to say today. Obviously we're all here to remember Tyson Granger and say our goodbyes. I feel awkward standing up here as I feel like it should be Kai standing and speaking as he knows him the best.'

Kai didn't make any sort of movement when his name passed Max's lips. It was not Kai's style to talk emotionally about anyone – not even himself – so he had passed on the opportunity to speak at Tyson's funeral, even though he was hurting inside. The problem with Kai was that he was unable to express his feelings in words and felt that any sort of emotional outpouring would damage his reputation as a cold and precise person, especially in the Beyblade sense.

'Well as you know we were there when Tyson – passed away – although I'm sure we all wish that the events of that day a week ago hadn't happened, but they did. If there was anything that I could do to change the events of that day then I would but I haven't got those powers. I'm sure we all wish we could get a time machine and travel back…

'Tyson will forever be remembered as a great person and an excellent Beyblader. I'm sure he'll be looking down on us all this morning and smiling before turning to play a game of Beyblade with God. I'm sure of it.'

Max paused for breath, his throat tightening and a tear slipping from his eye.

'It just leaves me to say thank you to Tyson for being a fantastic friend and a Beyblade mentor.'

Max put his hand in the back pocket of his jeans and removed a small red object which he unfolded, revealing it to be Tyson's discarded baseball cap. He slipped it onto one of the arms of the cross.

'Thanks Tyson.'

The funeral came to an end shortly after that with everyone dispersing in different directions to return to their daily lives. Having said a few words of comfort to Tyson's father, Max, Ray and Kai headed off on their own, silence being the only topic of conversation as they walked across the bitterly cold graveyard, their eyes falling on the names that lined each and every gravestone. It was Kai that eventually broke the silence though he continued staring at the ground as he walked, refusing to look at his two companions.

'It's all the fault of the Mystical Warriors that this happened,' he began, his voice harsher than Max and Ray had ever known it. 'We have to do something to make sure this never happens again. I propose we bury those Opal Beyblades in the forest where no one will ever find them and then we get revenge.'

'Shouldn't we use the Beyblades for this revenge?' Ray suggested, knowing that they were the most powerful 'blades they had. Kai was quick to reply in an even harsher tone.

'What? And risk them stealing them off us and starting all over again? Has Tyson's death meant nothing to you? These 'blades need burying deep in the ground away from wandering fingers. Tonight we shall do that then we will get our revenge…'

Kai's mumblings were interrupted by the sound of quickening footsteps coming up from behind them. The trio stopped and turned to let the person catch up. As they did they saw it to be a girl of about their age with shiny brown hair tied back in a ponytail, a bright, pretty face and clothes that didn't leave much to their teenage imaginations. She turned to face the group, her arms folded tightly underneath her breasts.

'Hi. You must be Kai, Max and Ray. Nice to meet you!' she said in a bubbly, slightly high-pitched voice. She hugged herself more tightly to keep in the warmth, looking around at the graveyard and biting her lip. 'It's just a shame that it's not a better day than this.'

Suddenly all the joy in her voice faded and she looked sad; her eyes became darker and less spell-binding. Max was the first to ask about her.

'Hi. I'm Max. And you are?'

'Saki, you might not know me.'

'No,' Kai said suspiciously as he started to walk along the path once more. The other three did the same, talking as they passed further through the graveyard.

'Well I'm a friend of Tyson's. Well, was.'

There was a moment of awkward silence before she continued.

'I really want to hear about what happened.'

'We don't want to talk about it,' Kai said between gritted teeth.

'But it could help…'

'We don't want to talk about it!' Kai shouted, looking at Saki with pure hatred before storming off down the path. Saki began to cry; Max tried his best to comfort her.

'Don't mind Kai; he's upset. Well, we all are.'

'I just want to know that… well, I wish I'd told him before…'

'What?' Max asked, stopping and turning to face her, lifting her chin up and noticing her red eyes from crying.

'I wish I'd told him that I really like him…'

'You mean – like love…'

'I suppose so… but now I just won't have the chance.

'But that's life I suppose. But if this is life then I don't know if I want it.'

'Don't say that. It'll get better,' Max said, looking over to the distance and speaking as if he didn't have control over his words. 'It's just… that's life.'

Max shook himself from his own thoughts and turned to Saki who was still unbelievably pretty even when upset.

'Let's find a seat,' he said, 'Then I can tell you what happened. Hopefully that should make you feel better.'

'Hopefully,' Saki replied, wiping the tears from her eyes, as they headed over to the nearest bench.

Time was going very slowly that day. Max and Ray had tried their best to sum up the events of the last few weeks for Saki, culminating in the death of their shared friend. As the afternoon began to ebb away the three of them headed back into the village. Kai had stormed off ahead and was probably at home by the time they got back. It was then that they revealed to Saki the second reason that the village was in mourning on that day to. On every available space on every wall were posters asking for any sightings of one teenager who had gone missing seven days previously. Max found a lump stuck in his throat again as he stared at the photo on the poster of a smiling messy-haired teenager and read the name below: 'Kenny'. He hadn't been seen since he'd left the group to find whatever it had been that he was looking for. Kenny had been so mysterious about it that they couldn't help anyone in locating him. Each day, until early evening, local people were out in the forest combing the area looking for clues but had yet to find anything. The combination of Tyson's death and Kenny's disappearance had created a thick black cloud of depression that hung over the village. As Max moved away from the 'missing' poster to speak to Ray and Saki he could see the search group returning, their faces dishevelled and their trousers caked with mud. Max sighed.

'This is why Kai snapped earlier. Though he doesn't like to admit it he's lost two big friends in the same week. He thinks that the Mystical Warriors have got to Kenny as revenge, but obviously we can't prove it.'

'Well what can we do?'

'Nothing. Just watch out for the Mystical Warriors. They shouldn't be too dangerous without the Opal Beyblades.'

'Which reminds me,' Ray piped up, adjusting his collar. 'Kai still wants us to meet in the woods tonight to bury the 'blades once and for all.'

'I'll be there,' Max said with a sigh. 'They've caused nothing but trouble since we first set eyes on them.'

The afternoon melted into the evening which in turn gave way to night. As the sun finally dipped under the horizon three figures entered the centre of the woods, the tallest armed with a large shovel and the shortest carrying a suitcase. The sun was just about lighting up their faces but was mostly concentrated on casting long shadows on the ground of the gnarled trees all around. The three figures were determined to do their work that night by burying the cause of their problems. Max, Ray and Kai were going to hide the Opal Beyblades for good, with the thought that three of their friends – Kenny, Tyson and Dizzi – had all disappeared, died or been destroyed because of them.

Kai took the shovel and began digging a large hole in the earthy floor, discarding huge clods of earth behind him, ignoring his sweating and panting and choosing to complete his job. When he found the hole to be big enough, he gestured over to Max who passed him the suitcase. With muddy, sweaty and cut hands, Kai unlocked the briefcase, observed that all four 'blades were neatly secured inside, and then locked it again, dropping it unceremoniously into the hole before resuming his spade work, this time returning the earth into the recess and patting it down to hide it from prying eyes. Their job done, Kai hitched the spade back onto his shoulder and returned with Max and Ray to the nearest path.

'So that's our job done,' Ray observed. Kai shook his head but did not turn around from his leading position.

'No. It's only half done. For now we get revenge on those that have inflicted pain on us. The Mystical Warriors will wish they hadn't messed with us. We shall avenge the death of Tyson and the disappearance of Kenny. And we shall do it tonight.'

As the three young men passed through the woods, Max and Ray shivering with cold and looking at each other with a sense of apprehension about what was going to happen that night, they didn't realise that exactly a week ago another band of individuals was walking through the forest with a similar ambition.

_One week earlier…_

The leader, unsurprisingly leading the group, was also walking through the forest but with the three remaining Mystical Warriors. All were tired from the Beyblade battles and cliff side fight that had preceded their walk. The Warriors were especially tired and plotting how to escape the wrath of the leader who was no doubt thinking about killing them as he had done with all the other failures before them. The leader, however, had other ideas that, unknown to him, would save him from an immediate death. The power that had been protecting him had been taken away but he didn't know this and only the Warriors were slightly aware of it because of the lack of tension and electricity in the air. The leader spoke:

'In exactly one weeks time,' he began, his voice booming, echoing off the trees, 'we shall get our revenge. Those kids think they can beat us but we shall prove them wrong. A week today we shall return to the village and find those Beybladers, get our Opal Beyblades back and then destroy them before we destroy the whole world!'

The four men continued to walk through the forest, now in complete silence aside from the snapping of twigs under their feet. The leader had just admitted his first weakness; he knew he wasn't able to retrieve the 'blades himself but with the Mystical Warriors he could.

They had other ideas, however, and were already planning in their heads to use the leader's plan against them when the two groups would meet in a week's time. That would be when the answers come out. And the Mystical Warriors were happy for them to be exposed.

But the events that were to happen seven days later would be something not one person walking through the woods could have imagined…

To be continued…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

By the time Kai, Max and Ray had walked halfway through the woods it had begun to rain. Not the sort of rain that you could walk through and easily forget. This was the heavy stuff that soaked their clothing within seconds and caused their hair to lose all its rigidity, whole matted strands of hair flopping into their faces and obscuring their vision. Already the soil ground was a muddy bog that threatened to consume the three teenagers as they moved clumsily through the brown sticky substance. Kai let out a grunt of annoyance that echoed off the nearby trees. He wished they were out of the woods but knew that there was still a long way to walk.

The group froze as they heard the snapping of a twig.

Max looked around but there was no one to be seen. He dismissed the sound as his overactive imagination making a falling branch seem more dangerous than it actually was, but still he couldn't help feeling tense and edgy like something was about to happen. He stopped in his tracks and looked around. Ray spotted him and stopped, noting that his friend looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights of a car.

'There's that sound again!' Max exclaimed, his whole body shaking and his face quickly losing all its colour.

'What sound?'

The twig snapping sound echoed around just after Ray had uttered the words. He too looked nervous. Kai just scoffed and ordered the pair to continue walking.

'How can you two be scared of twigs? Come on. We have work to do.'

Ray shrugged off their fears and continued to follow Kai. Max needed a little more encouragement from Kai – a series of barked commands – but he also soon followed but could not walk more than a few feet without looking nervously over his shoulder. Max knew that something was wrong but couldn't put into words just what; all he could feel were the results of chemical triggers in his brain upsetting his mental equilibrium. They continued to walk through the woods until the twig cracking became too much. Max stopped.

'There's somebody in these woods with us. Can't you hear it? Sense it?'

Kai didn't even bother stopping until he heard a loud crack to his left. He spun around and armed himself with his spade as a shadowy figure emerged from behind a tree. Kai was preparing himself to attack whoever it was that was stalking them. He was already in his attack pose, his legs spaced apart and his eyes locked on the figure. The shadow moved closer and stepped into the light from the moon, the rain battering against their body.

'Saki!' Ray announced, wiping water from his face. Kai grunted and relaxed, placing the spade down by his side with the base resting in the soft mud. Max smiled and all the tension drifted from his muscles. Saki joined the trio, her brown hair glued to her head with the rain and her t-shirt soaked through. She smiled warmly which seemed to melt away all the awkwardness the group felt and even seemed to light up the dull and dark woods. Saki started by apologising:

'Sorry. I didn't mean to spook you all. I just needed to find you.'

'Why?' Kai asked, staring at her with narrowed eyes. This was only the second time he'd met Saki and he was still wary of her. Saki coughed.

'It's the Mystical Warriors and the leader. They're on their way to meet you. I was skirting the edge of the forest looking for fruit when it began to rain. As I was leaving I overhead them talking. _We will get revenge tonight _they said. _We shall get them for what they did to us…_

'We will find them, steal the Opal 'blades back from them and continue what we started. I will not have four teenagers beating us, not after looking at who we have beaten in the past. Tonight we shall be back in power.'

The leader finished his speech as he and the three remaining Mystical Warriors sat perched on some large rocks on the edge of the forest, a makeshift campfire of twigs flickering between them all. The leader could not make out the distorted faces of his accomplices as they planned to escape his tyrannical regime. His tyranny was preventing him from seeing what was as plain as the nose in front of his face.

'When we get them back we shall succeed so I can be with her.'

'Who?' one of the Warriors asked as they spoke loudly over the crackling flames. The leader laughed.

'The one I was meant to be with. The one _he_ tried to take away from me. But I proved him wrong. Now he's dead. Now there's nothing stopping me. Nothing!'

The maniacal laughter of the leader echoed around the woods and was heard by Saki only a few metres away. She turned away and looked around and realised what she had to do…

'I had to come and find you and warn you,' she said, finishing off her tale to Max, Ray and Kai. 'We have to get out of these woods _now_.'

Kai snorted.

'I'm not afraid of them.'

Max spoke up.

'I know but we need to get out of here in one piece. We've done what we came to do, burying the 'blades. Now let's get out of here.'

Max, Ray and Saki gestured to move to get out of the wood as quickly as possible, if only to get out of the rain which was getting heavier by the minute. Kai, however, was resolute.

'I'm not going anywhere until I've faced that leader and taught him a lesson. A lesson for killing Tyson. You're his friends too. You must understand their actions cannot go unpunished.'

Ray sighed.

'We all know that but now is not the time. We have to leave. We are dealing with four people who could have all manner of weapons. This is no longer just about Beyblading. We could be in real danger.'

'I laugh in the face of danger.'

Saki laughed.

'Can you hear yourself? Sprouting off cheesy lines like some sort of naff movie actor.'

Saki had begun to move toward Kai, a look of anger and annoyance bubbling under the surface of her delicate features. He had touched a raw nerve. Any other time such closeness with Saki would have got Kai's heart racing and his fingers itching to touch her slender figure but he quickly realised she was not upon him for anything other than to put him in his place.

'I'm as upset over Tyson's death as you are. I really cared for him and would like nothing more than to watch him walk here now and laugh and joke about how we thought he'd died. But it's not going to happen. Would Tyson want us to risk our lives fighting a pointless battle? They are just wanting to save face by attacking us. What do we have to gain by fighting them? Some sort of sick pleasure that we might be doing what's right?

'Don't kid yourself, Kai. They're older than us and better with their fists. They corner us and we're done for. Now lets go and get inside. It's cold. It's wet. And if I get anymore soaked I'll be looking like I'm not wearing a top.'

Max turned to Kai and spoke softly:

'She's right. We should go.'

Kai sighed and finally realised he was in the wrong.

'OK. Let's just get out of here, if it's only for a coffee to warm ourselves up.'

Kai turned, saying nothing else, and stomped off in the direction they had previously been walking. Ray sighed and followed, Max walking on behind, tapping Saki on the shoulder and nodding thanks. She followed closely behind Max, shivering in the cold and finding her footwear and clothing inappropriate for a nocturnal walk through a wet, cold, damp and eerie wood with a rapidly melting floor.

Within a few steps the group passed through a thick line of trees and into a sort of substantial clearing. It was where some deforestation had gone on recently, cutting out a long corridor of trees leaving a street lined with twigs and the occasional tree stump. The group felt exposed.

'Quick!' Saki said loudly enough to be heard but not to attract the attention of anyone else who might be in the woods. 'Into the trees. They could see us here.'

Saki, Max and Ray dashed forward into the cover of the trees but Kai failed to follow. He was frozen to the spot looking at something down the empty corridor. There was a figure in a hood slowly walking towards him. It was the leader.

From the trees Saki called:

'Kai. Come on!' she said, gesturing 'come here' with her hand. Kai didn't respond; instead he began to walk away from her and down the exposed pathway. Saki peered round and gasped as she saw the leader in the distance now flanked by the three remaining Mystical Warriors.

'Kai!' she said stepping from the safety of the trees. Kai didn't turn but shouted back to her with no change in facial expression.

'You all stay there. I'll deal with them. They've seen us now.'

'But the wood is thick… we can escape.'

'No we can't.'

Saki felt it pointless to argue with Kai when he was in such a determined mood. She returned to the trees but she still had a view of the unfolding action. The wood was now quiet but for the downpour of rain, the heavy breathing of the teenagers and the occasional crunch of twig under foot.

Kai continued to slowly walk towards the leader, his footsteps firm and determined. His brow was furrowed. He looked left and then right, studying the large trees that lined the bare section of the wood. In the moonlight and in the glow of the lightning that had begun to bolt across the sky they looked like evil figures scowling and grimacing in his direction, their bony arms lifted up in a clawing motion as if they were preparing to rip the flesh from his bones. Kai wasn't scared of them though, instead returning his gaze to the approaching leader. Soon they were within a distance conducive to swapping words but not fists. The leader stood there, his face concealed by his hood but his confidence was all too obvious. The three Mystical Warriors were stood behind him, their features in shadow except for when Mother Nature chose to send lightning to reveal their faces. The leader cast his arm up into the air.

'Leave me. I shall face him alone.'

The three Warriors nodded. One passed to the leader's right and stood by a tree; the other two did the same but at the other side. Kai, who'd watched them move, looked back to the leader who took two more steps forward before stopping. He laughed before speaking.

'Mr Hiwatari. Welcome back. I missed you.'

Kai looked around at the trees, then at the Warriors, then back at the leader. He laughed.

'I wish the same could be said for me.'

'Well I suppose that's true. But you must like what I've done with this place? Quite the battleground, no?'

'I suppose so, if it's a battle you're after.'

The leader laughed again.

'It is. The last one as well.'

Kai nodded.

'It will end tonight.'

'I know it does. I've seen it,' he said making a gesture at the pocket of his cowl. 'That's why my Warrior friends are just going to stand back and enjoy the show because I already know that I'm the one that will finally beat you and get back our 'blades.'

'You'll have a job. We've got rid of them.'

There was a twinge of panic in the face of the leader but obviously Kai couldn't spot that. Confidence quickly returned.

'No problem. I shall refrain from killing you then and just capture you. Then I can torture you to find out where you've hidden them. They cannot be destroyed so don't pretend they have been. We shall find them. But first things first. Your capture.'

The leader took a deep breath, his cowl puffing out at the front before shrinking as the air dissipated from his lungs. He stopped before suddenly exclaiming:

'Let it rip!'

The leader began to run forward through the forest, his feet thumping down on the ground floor and splashing in the large puddles made by the still fierce downpour of rain. As he made his first few running steps he pulled a launcher from his pocket and fired a fresh non-Opal Beyblade in the direction of Kai, who was quick to react. Kai launched into a run in the direction of the leader, pulling out his launcher and sending his own Beyblade flying. Saki ducked out of the way as Kai's spade came flying back in her direction as he released his grip from it.

Both Kai and the leader continued running at each other, their feet thumping and splashing on the ground, their faces contorted in anger. Below them their Beyblades propelled along the ground ahead of them, sparking on the wet floor before coming to blows, the power of their meeting forcing them upwards into the air, spinning around each other and trading blows, getting soaked as they soared up through the rain. Far below the accelerating and flying 'blades, Kai and the leader met, ramming into each other and attempting to punch each other with their fists, both failing in their plan and flying backward instead, landing with a crunch on the ground and getting covered in mud and twigs, their clothes becoming instantly heavier with the water.

Their Beyblades crashed far above them, causing a loud explosion that, in turn, caused a ripple of rainwater which poured down on the fighters below. The energy expelled by the explosion made the two Beyblades fall back to the ground and into the hands of their respective owners. Kai lifted himself onto his feet as the leader did the same thing. He laughed.

'Very good. Now lets get the battle really started.'

Kai and the leader began to run at each other again, once more releasing their Beyblades to a chorus of 'let it rip!' The Beyblades quickly collided and began spinning in a circle and colliding off each other, hemming Kai and the leader into a circular stadium in which they began to duel. Kai aimed a swift punch at the face of the leader but he reacted too quickly and ducked out of the way, succeeding in breaking Kai's defences and punching him in the stomach. This sent Kai flailing backwards to the ground but, in a move of sheer acrobatic grace, his somersaulted back onto his feet and charged once more, blasting an unexpecting leader with a punch to the belly which winded him and allowed Kai to deliver a swift kick to his knees which sent the leader falling to the ground. Meanwhile the Beyblades began to spin around Kai, neither making much headway but causing sparks to burst out all around and set alight to several bundles of twigs on the ground. The leader began to lift himself from his feet, gathering his breath as he did so. Kai looked at him with a sense of satisfaction. The leader seemed quieter now but even more determined.

'Very good Kai. You are as good a fighter as you are Beyblader. But I think you should realise you cannot win. I have powers you cannot contemplate. Once you are through I shall use them to reunite myself with her. You cannot win. Face it.'

Kai laughed.

'Oh but I can win. You're only flesh and blood like me.'

Kai watched as his Beyblade span once around the crouching figure of the leader before it spun off to battle the leaders 'blade. The leader got up to his feet, exhaled and stretched his arms, clicking his fingers.

'Well I think it's time we saw some of this flesh and blood, don't you?'

Kai laughed.

'Try me.'

The leader paused. And grinned.

'I will.'

With the rain still beating heavily down and the six people watching, the leader launched an attack on Kai, punching him once in the side whilst Kai darted left and delivered a punch to the leader's back, pushing him forward. The leader nearly lost his footing but gathered himself up and spun back on his heel, throwing himself towards Kai and delivering a kick to the groin, bringing tears to Kai's eyes which were lost in the raindrops dribbling down Kai's face. Kai returned the favour by slamming his fist down on the leader's back and sending him once more falling to the ground. Kai's Beyblade did another lap of honour around his body before colliding once more with his rival's 'blade.

Kai watched as the leader got back to his feet and raised his arms.

'No more!' he bellowed, lightning blasting across the sky and lighting up everyone's face for several seconds. The two Beyblades propelled themselves in the sky, shifting about in the formation of an atom before colliding several times, each collision exponentially more ferocious than the last, sparks flying in all directions and setting alight to several trees, the flames quickly gathering hold and making flaming branches fall to the ground and thus making the ground equally flammable. Still the Beyblades continued to spin, lighting up the dark cloud filled sky with their collisions, neither giving up to the other. Kai averted his gaze from this display though Max, Ray and Saki were very much transfixed by the fireworks going on high up in the sky. The Mystical Warriors were nonplussed by any of the occurrences as they had other things on their minds.

The leader lowered his arms and walked over to Kai.

'It's been fun but now it really ends.'

The leader thrust down his arm and, as if jerked by an invisible hand, the Beyblades fell from the sky unceremoniously and crashed down right in front of Kai, the force being enough to lift Kai up from his feet and throw him backwards. The explosion shattered the ground and created a considerable crater which Kai fell into, his arm landing first with a sickening crack and his body dropping into a pool of water which the driving rain had already made in the pit. The leader walked up to the edge of the large hole and laughed.

'Is it nice down there? Don't think me rude if I don't join you but I feel it's frightfully rude to join somebody in their grave.'

The leader clicked his fingers and, reluctantly, one of the Mystical Warriors joined him by his side, bringing with him the two Beyblades he'd retrieved from the boggy ground. He passed them to the leader who proudly displayed them in his hands.

'Thanks for your 'blade Kai. I'm sure it will come in useful when we take over the world.'

'You'll never have the chance!' Kai bellowed, the pain of his broken arm filling up every ounce of his consciousness. He decided to call for backup. 'Dranzer!'

The Beyblade in the leader's hand sprang to life, glowing brightly, and the leader watched as the red phoenix launched into the air. Kai could only issue commands in a stutter fashion as his energy bled through his wounds.

'Dranzer. Stop him.'

The leader just laughed.

'I'm not afraid of your overgrown budgie. I know the power of your Beyblade and I know how to stop it. After all I helped cultivate it.'

'What?' Kai questioned, unable to really make sense of anything the leader was saying as pain continued to shoot through his nervous system. The leader just laughed.

'You heard! Dranzer. Return.'

The phoenix did nothing but stay stationary in the air.

'Dranzer attack!'

It did not move.

'Dranzer…'

Kai's attack call was interrupted by the leader. His voice was even more booming than usual.

'I've had enough of this. Kai, watch as your Bit-Beast finally bit-bites the dust.'

The leader laughed at his own terrible joke as he watched a bolt of lightning pierce the dark clouds in the sky, striking Dranzer with volts of energy, exposing its skeleton like an overcharged X-Ray and making the phoenix fall lifelessly to the ground in a flurry of singed feathers. The mud, aided by the rain, soon consumed the body.

'Dranzer!' Kai cried out in pain, trying to lift himself up from the ground but finding himself unable to move. The leader just laughed.

'Now you know my power. The Opal Beyblades have taught me a lot like how to control the elements. Even without the power of your four Beyblades you are powerless against me. I am now a magician but unlike any you've seen at a children's party. I am now the Opal Beyblades…'

'Then why do you need them?' Kai reasoned, pain still consuming his whole body.

'Because I'm not small and metallic and able to spin around a stadium. Besides such energy can only be channelled through the special Beyblades. I need them to continue my power.'

'Well you're not going to get them.'

'Well then you shall die, Kai. It's inevitable. It even rhymes.'

Kai could find no poetic humour or justice in such a situation. The leader scoffed as another bolt of lightning illuminated the sky.

'It's not much to ask. I just want to know where you've hidden the Opal Beyblades.'

Kai spoke through clenched teeth, projecting his voice up and out of the hole.

'Why should I tell you?'

''Cos if you don't I'll have no choice but to kill each one of your friends until you do.'

Max stepped out of the trees to defend Kai. The leader spotted this and stared at him.

'But if you make a move now Max then I'll have no choice but to kill you now.'

Max realised he was no match against the leader so stepped back into the trees with Ray and Saki. At least it was drier there and away from the fires that were still raging in several spots, though a lot had been sizzled out by the relentless rain.

'In fact… I'll kill each of their Bit Beasts first, then let them watch them die slowly before killing them. It's the best way.'

The leader let out another maniacal laugh.

'So what's it gonna be?' the leader asked, looking down at a wet and defeated Kai once more. 'Are you going to tell me what you did with them?'

Kai turned his head and spat on the ground, the unmistakable taste of blood seeping into his throat.

'Go to hell,' was his only response, Kai still defiant as ever. The leader shook his head.

'That wasn't what I wanted to hear. Looks like I might have to kill your friends after all… or I might have a better idea.'

The leader smiled though no one could see this under his hood. He began to walk around the edge of the pit, being careful not to go too near the crumbling edge and thus fall in, his arms folded in front of him, musing on things.

'Time is a funny medium. All our lives we run by it. I must have this down by so and so. I must be back home for x hour. It's only five weeks to deadline. Time is a very linear thing to us all. But not to me, for I have the power to dart around time like a squirrel darts through holes foraging for nuts. It's all there on the Internet. I've had lots of spare time to look though I have been without my favourite… interface… thanks to your friend.'

The leader began to ramble as he paced around the pit.

'Yes. Your bloody friend. Thinking he can just take what isn't his. Separate me and my one true friend. But I have had the last laugh. I can rebuild her. It's only a matter of time.'

The leader shook his head.

'Now where was I? Oh yes… I can do a lot with my power… namely going back… or forward… and altering the fate of the people you hold dear. Your friends could suddenly find themselves suffering bad luck… you could find your mansion has been burnt down in mysterious circumstances… I could cause you pain you could not believe.'

'That's it though, isn't it? I don't believe you.'

'That's big coming from you as you lie hurt on the floor on the verge of passing out and not waking again. But if you want proof then I shall give it to you.'

The leader slipped his hand into his cowl pocket. Kai watched as the indentation of the leader's hand moved about under the cloak. The leader was happy his face was concealed as he did not want them to see the panic on his face. His Opal Beyblade was not there. It was gone. But it had been there a week ago… had he not checked since then… he'd had no need to. Then he realised.

'Tyson!' he said angrily, his chest moving in and out quickly as he began to pant. One of the Mystical Warriors approached the leader.

'What's the matter?'

'My Beyblade. It's been stolen. Stolen by that bastard Tyson. First he tries to steal my one true friend; then he destroys her; now even from beyond the grave he taunts me. I'll kill him.'

'He's already dead, sir.'

'Damn him. He's stolen the only hope I had of getting her back. Someone will pay for this.'

The leader could see it happening now. As Tyson had come to the realisation he was about to fall he had grabbed onto the leader's cloak to try and get a better grip but had failed. Now the leader realised he'd taken the Opal Beyblade from his pocket as he'd released his grip. Now the leader was angry and annoyed and realised that the game was almost up. The Mystical Warriors began to gather around the leader, smirking.

'So it's been stolen.'

'Yes.'

'And that means you've lost your power of time.'

'Erm…'

'And your control… you're powerless to fight back. I can see it now. Your strength is already fading as you realise you can no longer keep it up.'

'No… I know what you're thinking,' screamed the leader, pleading to the goodness in the Mystical Warriors. He wasn't thinking about how he'd picked them because they had no goodness; no soul; no good nature to appeal to. But still the leader tried. 'Don't you realise I'm what you need. Together we could take over the world. Work with me and we can get the four Opal 'blades back from them and succeed.'

The Warriors just laughed.

'You've had your chance. You expressed your true colours before, now you will pay.'

'No! Get your hands off me,' the leader shouted as the three Warriors grabbed him in a firm arm lock and began to drag him away from the hole, though as he struggled his face was still in sight of Kai still lying in pain in the pit. 'Stop it now.'

One of the Warriors caught his hood and it was yanked back revealing the leader's face for the first time, exposing his pale skin to the rain. His glasses clouded up with the moisture that pummelled his face and his hair. Kai let out a gasp of shock, an emotion that was repeated by Max and Ray as they left the seclusion of the trees for a better view of the leader even if it meant getting soaked. Saki followed them out but was confused.

'Do you know him?'

Max nodded still unable to put his thoughts into words. Ray finally got his breath together enough to speak.

'Kenny…'

Kai shook his head and denied the fact to himself. He could not believe what he was seeing and figured it must be the pain he was feeling making his eyes lie.

'But how…'

Ray couldn't believe it either. But his thoughts were about to be confirmed.

'You're right Ray,' said a voice from behind the three teenagers. They turned around to see a figure in the shadow of the trees. 'It is Kenny.'

Max and Ray looked to try and see the figure. They squinted harder through the driving rain as the character moved into the moonlight, his features become more and more defined. They first saw the spiky hair, then the smiling features and then the distinctive clothes. Max was shocked.

'Tyson?'

Tyson emerged fully from the trees to the delight of Saki and the shock of Max and Ray.

'Everyone alright?' he asked, knowing true well everyone was anything but. 'It's good to be back. But I think it's about time I explained everything that's been going on…'

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The whole scene was very much like a painting, if not a bit a grotesque. The background was a dark forest of gnarled trees, several scorched by flame, most stretching their arms out as if hoping to receive a gruesome embrace. In the foreground would be a carefully painted hole in the ground, etched out in a random fashion with its sides crumbling onto a figure deep in it; a figure nursing several broken bones and a bloodied forehead. On one edge would be a young man staring angrily through a pair of bottle-bottom glasses, held back by three taller and more muscular men who were grimacing. On the other side would be another figure with thick and unruly blue hair and muddied clothing with his three friends, one female, two male, stood just off centre watching the action from the trees. The painting was finished off with the distortion of heavy rain coating everybody in the picture. There was, however, one person yet to be painted in the unfolding scene.

Tyson decided he'd better explain himself after his sudden appearance. He studied Kenny who was stood across from him being forcibly restrained by the Mystical Warriors. Kenny tried to move but he couldn't escape: the Warriors had grabbed hold of his upper arms tightly and were not letting go. They were no longer afraid of Kenny and had plans of how to deal with him but first they wanted some explanation for the events of the previous weeks which only one person could give: Tyson.

'I would start from the beginning but that could be more confusing,' Tyson said, the rain battering down from on high and making it increasingly difficult for him to look at the people he was speaking too. 'I should really start from my death.'

There was a gasp from behind him as Saki realised what he could be saying. Hundreds of different ideas buzzed through her head: was he a ghost? Had he somehow been reincarnated? Was it not really Tyson but a fake? Her chest felt hollow and her heart was fluttering with apprehension. Tyson just smiled.

'Well I _say_ my death. I never actually died. I'll take you back to that scene on the cliff edge where I was hanging off the edge well aware of my own mortality. I could see the smiling face of the leader above me Tyson grimaced as he said this part of the story and realised I had to do something else I would be following Kano and meeting my maker. I lifted myself up and grabbed hold of his cowl, trying to pull myself up. But I knew my muscles weren't strong enough and he had the advantage. I could feel myself slipping and, as I began to move backwards, I tugged once more on his cowl and the Opal Beyblade slipped into my hand as I fell.

'I didn't know what it was other than it being a Beyblade so I now prepared myself for death. But death didn't come.

'And of course by this point the leader had made his key mistake and shown me his identity. He thought I was going to die but by a series of chances I didn't. I fell back, the Opal Beyblade in hand, making a grab for Kenny's laptop as I did so. Then nothing.'

Aside from the tapping of rain on the ground and the occasional rumble of thunder, the whole area was struck down by a sense of awe at the picture that was being painted. And now another character was set to be added to the masterpiece.

'It was thanks to one person that I was saved. One person with a fantastic knowledge of the Opal Beyblades, trained ironically by the person who tried to kill me.

'As I fell Dizzi came online and somehow activated the Beyblade and sent me back in time but to me it was just entering a haze of whiteness. So really I've got Dizzi to thank.'

There were footsteps from behind Tyson and from out of the trees. Saki didn't recognise the figure that approached Tyson, and Ray and Max only had a slight inkling. It was only as the figure came to Tyson's side and as he introduced her whilst holding her hand did they all realise.

'May I present Dizzi.'

Dizzi stood there going slightly red with embarrassment, her free hand stuck awkwardly in one of her jeans pockets. Dizzi was just as attractive as she'd always been even when her shirt was drenched in the rain. Her long brown hair was still resting gently on her shoulders and her chest was moving in and out as she breathed. Tyson looked over to her and smiled, his whole demeanour suddenly becoming more light and airy. He was much happier when he was in her presence. It was probably something to do with love.

'Dizzi!' Kenny screamed, lunging forward with his chest but being unable to escape the grasp of the Mystical Warriors. The look of frustration was clearly apparent on his face. 'I did this all for you. You must know that.'

Dizzi didn't respond in words. Instead she bowed her head and looked awkwardly at the muddy ground. She squeezed Tyson's hand harder. Tyson just glared back at Kenny though this made him even angrier.

'But it's all _your_ fault!' Kenny spat, his fist flailing, or at least attempting to move from the restriction of the Warriors. 'If you hadn't stolen her from me then none of this would have happened.'

Tyson bowed his head momentarily before lifting it back up. With his eyebrows raised and his mouth downturned, he sighed and spoke:

'Yes. To some extent that's true.'

'It's all true!' Kenny interrupted loudly. Tyson ignored him and just continued.

'I admit that I developed a crush on Dizzi and it's come to a point now where we know we should be together. I'm sorry if you feel like I've taken away your friend but we are in love.'

'Love. Pah!' scoffed Kenny, his anger bubbling over. 'You don't know what love is. You're blind to the truth. She's my friend and you stole her from me.'

Kenny then looked up, thinking. He'd had a change of mind.

'No,' he spluttered. 'She is more than my friend. She is my life. Without her I am nothing. Nothing!'

Kenny had been writhing even more now, trying to pull away, fury filling up every vein. He was speaking so furiously spit was flying everywhere, though it was getting lost in the driving rain, and his glasses were almost falling off his nose.

'I know that!' Tyson shouted, trying to be heard over the noise of the elements, 'But I can't help what I feel.'

Kenny exclaimed and realised the futility of his resistance and settled down. 'I don't care what you feel. Dizzi should be hear with me. At least you should say your peace and be gone. You should have died on that cliff edge then we'd all be happy.'

Kenny relented.

'Just get on with your story. I know you're dying to tell it.'

'Thanks. I will,' Tyson muttered before composing himself to continue the tale. 'I ended up a week earlier and in my Dojo, completely disorientated…'

Tyson had landed with a bump on the floor of his Dojo, his backside aching and his head spinning. In one hand he was clutching tight hold of the fifth Opal Beyblade; under his other arm was Kenny's laptop. Shaking his head and trying to gather his bearings, Tyson had got up onto his feet, placing the 'blade and laptop down on the wooden floor. Shafts of light through the windows lit the teenager up as he rubbed his bottom and made himself aware of just where he was and when he was. His line of sight had fallen on a calendar on the wall which revealed the date to be exactly one week previous to when he'd last been. Tyson's initially reaction was to bound over to the calendar, his hair bouncing about above his confused and pale face, and check it. Had he forgotten to move over the dates? No, he did that every morning without fail, ripping off another page as he brushed his teeth. But maybe then he'd died: maybe he'd been in limbo for a week and obviously hadn't had the chance to change the dates? No. That answer didn't seem right. There was something more to it. The realisation began to dawn on Tyson. There was only one explanation but Tyson realised that wasn't possible even with his knowledge of what had gone on over the previous weeks, even though it now seemed one week of that time had yet to happen. One voice decided to reveal all:

'Tyson. Over here.'

Tyson spun around, his pupils darting about as he tried to locate the source of those words. They had seemed to come from the laptop and only a confirmation of 'Yes, it's me' spurred Tyson into walking over the hard floor and to pick up the laptop. He lifted open the screen and studied the data. Dizzi's voice was unmistakable.

'I can explain what happened but first, I think we should talk person-to-person. It's not perfect – I'll explain later – but use the 'blade.'

Tyson was confused but shrugged and did what she asked. He placed the laptop on the floor and retrieved the Opal Beyblade, pointing it awkwardly at the screen. Suddenly, with no warning, a ray of light shot from the 'blade and illuminated the whole room to such an extent that the streaming light from the windows was extinguished for several seconds. Only as the pulse of light faded did the natural light return, lighting up a new figure in the centre of the room. Tyson didn't need to see her long flowing brown hair, her pretty smile or her curved body to know it was Dizzy. A strange feeling came over him and he rushed up to Dizzi. With no messing about the couple embraced and, with Tyson tilting his head slightly to the right, kissed, their lips interlocking and swells of happiness pulsating through their bodies. After about twenty seconds they pulled apart.

'I thought I'd never see you again,' Tyson mumbled as he stayed closely to her, his left hand stroking her shoulder as he gazed into her beautiful eyes. Dizzi nodded.

'I've missed you too… ever since that time we first met properly…'

There was an awed silence as the two looked into each others eyes and for one of the first times in their lives realised they were truly happy. But there was a more important matter in hand and soon they had moved across Tyson's dojo and sat down crossed-legged on the side to talk. Dizzi spent much of their conversation fiddling nervously with the ends of her hair; Tyson studying her face.

'I need to know what just happened.'

'I can tell you as much as I know but there might be gaps. Basically that Opal Beyblade they both looked nervously over to the small metallic object as she said this is more powerful than any of us know. It doesn't just have the power to send individuals back in time but to alter time. That's how this has all happened.

'After I saved you all from the Mystical Warrior, what seems far too long ago, Kenny became jealous of you after he realised we had grown close. He spent hours with me on the Internet researching into these Opal Beyblades, finding out practically everything about them. Whilst doing this research he stumbled across the existence of a fifth Opal Beyblade with amazing powers of time travel. Kenny realised that was the answer to his problem. I've never seen anyone like it… he was possessed to finding the answer, doing some very controversial hacking to get the information. He was soon onto the trail and found where it was hidden and went to look for it. And that's when the problems started.

'Already consumed by jealousy, an emotion alien to Kenny, the fifth Opal 'blade latched onto him as he retrieved it from its podium. It immediately locked onto his most inner fears and became him, sending him back in time several years and to the temple of the leader where, possessed by the Beyblade he killed the leader and took over his calling to take over the world by recruiting the four Mystical Warriors. This was the ambition of the Bit Beast in the Opal Beyblade: to take control of its own destiny and rule the world. It appeased Kenny – its host – by promising that as part of its mission it would destroy you, so the leader dispatched one of the later Warriors to capture up all your friends – including the past Kenny – and bring you to what he hoped would be your death. But he hadn't counted on me saving you.'

Tyson looked puzzled.

'But that's impossible. I only realised my feelings for you because of the involvement with the Mystical Warriors, but they couldn't have attacked me without having that reason to attack me. It doesn't make sense; it's not logical.'

Dizzi looked over to the Opal Beyblade once more.

'That's the most frightening thing about that Beyblade. As I said it's far cleverer than any of us predicted. It judged what would happen from its knowledge of all events, engineering fate so both possibilities could happen. It's illogical but that's what's the most frightening thing, which is why you must listen closely to what I'm about to say.

'Already the Bit Beast inside that Beyblade is feeding off your fears, your anxieties, your concerns and will be engineering all our futures. If we don't do something now then it could be creating an even worse future for us all. We have to sort out what it has done so far but we cannot use the time function on it more than is necessary else it will continue to live off you and take you over like it did Kenny.

'We have to work hard over the next week to train you up to take the leader on and stop what's been happening.'

'I understand. I know what we have to do.'

'And the best time to start is now.'

And so it began. For two weeks Tyson and Dizzi worked tirelessly side by side, training together in fighting and in Beyblade to make sure Tyson was fully prepared for anything the Leader – or Kenny as they now knew it to be – would throw at him. Tyson was fully aware of what could happen and was determined to prepare fully, being a determined student to Dizzi's teacher. He learned lots that week from Dizzi… especially her knowledge of Beyblade from years of gathering information inputted by Kenny which she analysed. On evenings they would relax and watch television, or go to the cinema, or just enjoy each others company and talk about everything in front of Tyson's warm fire. Quite often they would give into each other and share a passionate embrace by the fireside, their lips gently touching and their hands caressing each others body. They were both happy and realised that, even with the harsh consequences of their actions, it had been for the best. Both Tyson and Dizzi had felt more alive than they ever had and all their cares seemed to wash away. By the end of the seventh night they were ready for what would happen the next day, sealing their devotion to doing what was right, and to each other, by packing away all their Beyblade and training equipment and retiring together at midnight…

The next day came. Tyson and Dizzi got dressed and breakfasted together, not needing to say anything to each other. They had got wind of Tyson's funeral and, later in the day, had watched the ceremony from a safe distance, a tear coming to Tyson's eye as he realised that the people there – his family and friends – thought that they would never see him again and that upset him. They both saw Tyson's father's and Max's eulogies and then watched as Kai, Max and Ray walked across the graveyard before being joined by Saki.

'Who's that?' Dizzi had whispered to Tyson, not recognising the figure.

'A girl called Saki,' he replied. 'I know her from the village. I think she has a crush on me.'

Dizzi laughed awkwardly. She wasn't keen on the thought of someone 'having a crush' on Tyson when they were now so settled. Maybe it was because she was nervous of what could happen in the next six hours, or maybe it was the presence of the Opal Beyblade in the pocket of Tyson's jeans. She knew how dangerous it was and feared that any talk of another love interest could be already engineering problems for them down the line. Already Dizzi could feel time and fate shifting to create horrifying possibilities; or maybe it was just the nerves that were overtaking her body.

Soon Dizzi and Tyson left the spot and trailed their friends into the woods where they saw them bury the Opal Beyblades. They saw Saki joining them – only just avoiding being spotted by her as she rushed to meet them. Tyson accidentally stepping back on a twig which snapped, which was the first sound that Max had heard and not Saki as they later guessed. They then saw them enter the clearing and encounter Kenny and the battle between him and Kai that ensued. With the quick revelations of the missing Beyblade and Kenny's identity, Tyson knew he had to act. With a nod from Dizzy, a whisper of 'Good luck' and a squeeze of his hand, Tyson emerged from their observation spot and walked into the scene, shocking everyone there.

'And that just about brings us up to speed,' Tyson said, the story concluding as he looked over to Kenny as the rain continued to pour down. 'That's why I have to stop you Kenny.'

'You'll never stop me.'

Tyson had been waiting for his moment. He knew he would have to battle Kenny now and it was a task he knew would happen but something he wasn't looking forward to all the same. But something was about to happen that would relieve Tyson of that duty and would seal his fate. And it was triggered by just a few words from one of the Mystical Warriors.

'You mean,' Mamoru said bitterly, pulling tighter hold of the flesh on Kenny's arm, which made the captive exclaim sharply, 'We've been taking orders from a possessed devil?'

The other two Mystical Warriors Akira and Hisa turned to each other and muttered.

'Well then we've been played for fools! This will end now!'

Before Tyson could intervene or do anything, Mamoru took from his jacket a long knife that glinted in the moonlight, thrusting it straight into Kenny's chest and withdrawing it immediately. The three Mystical Warriors moved backwards, releasing Kenny from their grasp with a push, letting him fall forward and into the hole, rolling limply to the side of Kai who, because of his injuries, could do nothing to help. The knife soon followed, embedding blade down in the mud, a sick reminder of what had just happened. Kenny just lay there clutching his chest, his hands quickly becoming stained with blood, his face becoming paler and his eyelids drooping. He spoke with difficult, his chest moving up and down with difficult, stuttering.

'I'm sorry about this,' Kenny said, finally emerging from the possession of the Opal Beyblade as it shifted its loyalty. 'I never wanted any of this to happen. I just wanted Dizzi to myself as my best friend. Was that too much to ask?'

Tyson, who could only just hear Kenny's words, looked down at him with sadness ruling his face. His left hand was moving in his pocket, checking the fifth Beyblade was still there. Tyson was joined at his side by Dizzi, Saki, Max and Ray, all staring down at the two limp bodies in the pit: Kai with broken bones that would soon heal but Kenny with far more serious problems. Already he was choking, the rain thrashing down on him and chilling him to the bone. There were scuffles as the Mystical Warriors realised the consequence of their actions but were still not moved by the unfolding scene, only concerned about their own safety.

'Let's get out of here!' Mamoru said calmly to his two colleagues who would soon be running in opposite directions to him as the Mystical Warriors separated never to rejoin in this time zone. Akira and Hisa nodded and they all turned, running away and disappearing into the blackness never to be seen by anyone else in those woods again. Even throughout this the gaze of the five young people on the ground never moved. Kenny looked up at Dizzi as his eyesight began to fail, blurring her body into a series of coloured dots.

'I'm sorry about everything. I only wanted you to stay my friend.'

And with the last word dribbling from his mouth, his heart finally gave up and ceased, life draining from his body into the puddles round about, Kenny's eyes closing and his head drooping to the right. Saki let out a shocked gasp; Max and Ray looked down at their muddy shoes. Tyson was just dumbstruck; this was not how he'd imagined the evening panning out. A fight with Kenny, definitely. But not his death. It was only Dizzi grabbing him by his shoulders and turning round to face him that shook him from his out-of-body experience. Dizzi's face was etched with a seriousness that Tyson had not yet seen.

'There's only one thing you can do,' was all she said. Tyson blinked.

'What?'

'You have to use the Opal 'Blade and go back in time. Back to before this all happened. You have to overwrite everything the Beyblade has caused and take us back to how we were… before Kenny died, before Kai got injured, before Dranzer was murdered. And before we ever encountered the leader or the Mystical Warriors.'

'But that will mean…'

'Yes… we'll never meet probably, but there's more happening here than just me and you.'

'I understand,' was all Tyson could say but his heart was already deflating as his mind played what would happen.

'It's not Kenny's fault,' Dizzi said, looking down into the pit and closing her eyes before looking back into the eyes of Tyson and opening them again. She placed her hands firmly on his shoulders, squeezing them gently. 'His emotion was seized upon by the Beyblade and turned into a monster. The one who did this was not Kenny but the leader. They may have looked like the same person but they were anything but one and the same. I know it may not be what you want to hear but you have to save Kenny.'

Tyson nodded, his senses numb to the rain, to Saki, Max and Ray following Dizzi's every word, and even to the pain of Kai below; in fact everything but Dizzi.

'But I'll never see you again and, if I do change time, none of you will know any of this.'

'That's a good thing.'

'But you won't know what we had.'

'I know and I'm not liking it as much as you are but it has to be done. We all owe it to Kenny.'

Dizzi looked down into the pit and studied Kenny's body, his thick glasses gathering two small puddles of water and his clothes darkened with the rain. She sobbed.

'After all has been said and done Kenny needs me and I need Kenny and we all need the information we bring to the group.'

Tyson nodded again.

'It's the only way.'

Tyson looked around at Max, Ray and Saki and nodded. They all walked respectably away as he talked to Dizzi for what was likely to be the last time they would talk about their love for each other. Tyson turned back to Dizzi and smiled.

'I'm not sure what I'll do without you.'

'You'll manage,' Dizzi said before having to admit what she'd been denying to herself. 'I think you'll have someone else to keep you company.'

'What do you mean?'

'Just look at Saki.'

Tyson turned to look at what Dizzi was seeing. Saki was there looking at Tyson, a look of sadness of her face. She swallowed hard. Saki saw Tyson looking at her and immediately looked back to Ray and Max. Tyson returned his gaze to Dizzi but it was her that spoke.

'She clearly has feelings for you. Probably has had for a long time. I recognise the look.'

'I don't know. It's you I want to spend time with.'

'The Opal 'Blade has put paid to that.'

Tyson sighed and looked up at the dark clouds in the sky.

'I guess this is it then.'

'I guess it is.'

There was an awkward silence between the pair as they just listened to the sound of the rain and each others breathing and heartbeat. Then, for one last time, though the rain tried to drown their emotions, they moved close to each other and kissed, their lips meeting in an explosion of passion for one last time. They pulled apart far too quickly for Tyson's liking. He would have preferred to have stood there for eternity in the rain with Dizzi. She too was going to miss Tyson but knew that her heart lay with Kenny; he needed her more than Tyson even though it was killing her to make that decision. But at the end of the day they were doing what was right.

Tyson took the Opal Beyblade from his pocket, grasping it loosely in his hand as he considered throwing it down into the pit to lie dead with Kenny and do what he wanted and not what he felt he should do. But this selfishness soon passed and he knew what he had to do. Tyson nodded once more at Dizzi and then touched the Beyblade with his other hand.

A large bubble of light consumed Tyson before swallowing him whole, then it retracted, leaving a void where Tyson had once been.

'Good luck Tyson,' Dizzi said with sadness in her voice, tears welling up in her eyes. 'I did love you.'

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

When Tyson opened his eyes he was shocked. He'd expected to find himself lying on the floor of his Dojo or resting on the ground of a familiar place. Instead Tyson found himself to be lying flat out in a room that was pure white. His eyelids flickered quickly for a few seconds as he attempted to get his bearings.

Tyson pushed himself up into a sitting position and glanced around, his head feeling heavy but at the same he felt light-headed. Tyson glanced around at the room realising that it was circular in shape though it was difficult to determine as there were no lines to follow. It was as if he was sitting down in a void. Tyson coughed and lifted himself to his feet trying to make sense of his surroundings. A few steps was all it took for Tyson to walk into a wall. He shifted around the room, his hands pressed against the cold metal that encircled him. Tyson soon realised that the room was indeed circular and that there didn't seem to be a way out. He tried to think of how he'd ended up here after using the fifth Opal Beyblade to send himself back in time. Nothing made sense but then everything that had happened so far had been strange.

Just as Tyson prepared himself to charge at the wall to bash it with his fists in despair, a whirring sound – not totally unlike the spinning of a motor – was heard behind him. He spun around to see a small line appear in the wall which gradually became thicker and thicker until a hole was exposed; a doorway into another room if you will, one that looked friendlier than this one with a plush carpet and a patterned wallpaper. A lampshade hung down from the ceiling and there was the faint outline of a chest of drawers. But before Tyson could march over to the door and pass through, a figure appeared from the room and blocked the doorway, dipping its head and lifting its legs over the lip of the door, passing into the small white room. Behind its body the door closed until no sign of its presence could be seen.

The figure that had joined Tyson in the room was a complete contrast to the young Beyblader. Where Tyson had blue unkempt hair, the second figure had dark hair that was neatly brushed and parted. Where Tyson's face was young and fresh, this figure was bearded, his brow lined. A small scar decorated his cheek. Where Tyson was dressed in casual clothes that hung loosely off his body the other man wore a suit that was perfect in everyway from the creases in his trousers to the perpendicular positioning of his tie. Even the shirt collar was crisp. Tyson studied the man who chose to speak before him, his tongue rasping on his teeth giving his thick accent a nasally quality.

'Well well well. We meet at last Mr Grainger.'

'I don't believe we've been introduced.'

'We haven't. How rude of me! I'm Stony Gearring. The Bit Beast of the fifth Opal Beyblade, as you know it of course.'

Tyson quickly placed his hand in front of his mouth to stifle a laugh. He coughed and spoke.

'Stony Gearring…'

'Only idiots make fun of people's names Tyson Grainger. You won't be laughing when I reveal why you're here.'

'And where exactly is… here?'

'Why… you're inside the Beyblade with me. You see I've been wanting to talk to you about the events of the last few weeks for quite a while. It seems that you're attempting to undo my work by going back in time.'

'I am,' Tyson said, his attitude turning quickly from jokey to serious. 'The Opal Beyblades have caused nothing but problems and I'm here to rectify that.'

'Nothing but problems?' Stony scoffed. 'I don't think you really believe that… and neither would Dizzi I think…'

Tyson frowned and exploded angrily inside, his left fist that had been, up until this point hanging limply by his side, now clenched so tightly the colour had drained away from his knuckles.

'Don't you dare bring her into it…'

Stony now began to walk around Tyson as if to taunt him. Tyson let his pupils follow his adversary but didn't give him the satisfaction of turning to face him for the 180 degrees that Stony was behind him.

'For you the 'blades have brought you good things. You had the chance to prove yourself as a hero; they saved you from death. They brought you close to the one you love, so close that you could touch her, feel her… make love to her… and they removed your only competition for her. If I was you I'd be gushing praise on the Opal Beyblades for what they've done for you.'

'They also got a good friend killed and another badly injured.'

'Oh yes!' Stony said, smiling and acting as if he forgotten some important details. 'I'd forgotten about Kenny and Kai.

'It's not as if Kenny tried to kill you,' Stony began sarcastically, before adding, 'and Kai had treated like his inferior competition.'

Tyson felt a pang in his chest as he thought about the words Stony was saying, the meanings echoing around his mind and bouncing off all his thoughts. Worryingly for Tyson they were starting to make sense and he was becoming entranced by them. He had to shake his head to escape the thoughts which threatened to take him over.

'No!' he said confidently. 'That's not how it happened. They are good friends to me and I have to help them. Those actions were not controlled by Kenny; he had been possessed. You know that; you're using your influence of him against me. If there's anyone to blame for the events it's you.'

Stony ceased walking around Tyson in circles and stopped in front of him, sighing.

'It seems that no matter what I say you will not see reason. I only have one option now.'

'What?'

'That's to challenge you to a life and death game of Beyblade.'

'Really? That's your only option? How about admitting defeat and letting me go?'

Stony laughed.

'That's just not my style…'

From the inside pocket of his suit, being careful not to crease the tailored front, Stony took out a Beyblade that was incredibly shiny, everything around it reflecting in its steel exterior, even if that was mostly just plain white walls with the occasional stroke of colour from Tyson standing there with his bright blue hair and red clothing.

'This, my friend, is one of the most powerful Beyblades ever forged, even more than the Opal Beyblades themselves. This will be your undoing.'

Tyson was still facing confident even in the face of adversity.

'We'll see about that,' Tyson said, removing his Beyblade from the pocket of trousers without any fanfare. 'Talent will beat power any day.'

Stony shrugged, speaking with his head cockily on the side.

'Who's to say I don't have both?'

Tyson frowned, staring angrily in the direction of Stony who responded in the only way fitting.

'Let it rip!'

Instead of having to use a launcher, Stony's 'blade catapulted from his hand unaided, spinning through the air and in the direction of Tyson, who had no choice but to throw himself to the right, slamming shoulder-first into the wall. He didn't have time to rub his injury better. He just withdrew his launcher, loaded his Beyblade and fired it, all in the space of five seconds.

'Let it rip!' Tyson exclaimed, clambering to his feet and standing in a better position for launch. Tyson watched as his Beyblade flew at Stony who stepped to the right to avoid it. Tyson saw, from the movement of his 'blade that the room had a domed roof. Both his and Stony's Beyblade came to meet at the apex of the roof, the collision being incredibly forceful and knocking both 'blades out of kilter, sparks flying and Tyson's Beyblade falling to the ground before continuing. Tyson had seen the power of his opponent's Beyblade and how Stony had not been bluffing: _his_ Beyblade _was_ considerably more powerful than Tyson's. But he still wasn't going to give up.

Tyson dashed across the room, avoiding Stony's Beyblade which was spinning furiously around the arched room, grasping his opponent by the arm and forcing it back into a lock. Stony seemed visibly shaken but this emotion quickly melted into anger.

'What the hell are you doing? That's not in the rules.'

'We're not playing by the rules. I know what you've done to my friends, remember, and to me, and I just can't trust you.'

With all his strength, Tyson pushed his opponent to the floor and he slid slightly on the polished floor, coming to rest by one of the walls. Stony was quickly back on his feet though and soon issuing Tyson with return threats.

'So you want to play like a man then? So be it!'

Stony charged across the room, taking Tyson by surprise with a strong weight, pinning him against the wall and lifting him slightly with his hand to his neck. He still managed to remain smartly dressed though even in that position with his tie not moving a millimetre.

'I'd like nothing better than to squash you right here,' Stony said, the words pushed forcibly out of his mouth of gritted teeth, his body mass pushed hard against Tyson, pushing air out of the young man's lungs. 'You've tried to ruin my plan. Why shouldn't I? I should…'

But whilst Stony had been lecturing his enemy, Tyson had seized the moment and freed one of his hands, which he used to give Stony a quick jab in the ribs. Though the amount of freedom his hand had wasn't enough to get a great amount of force behind the punch it was enough to catch Stony off guard and allowed Tyson to squeeze free and run swiftly to the other side of the room, skipping athletically over the battling Beyblades as he did. He arrived at the other side out of breath but confident, even though there was still nowhere to hide in the room that seemed to be getting smaller as Tyson got used to being encompassed by the room's white void.

'Very good,' laughed Stony, turning to face Tyson and laughing, rubbing his hand over his mouth. 'I underestimated you.'

'Everyone does.'

'But still I cannot stand here admiring you. You are still the enemy after all and enemies have to die.'

The speech petered away as the pair watched the Beyblades spinning around the room, colliding with each other and spinning in concentric circles, neither gaining ground. Tyson was prepared to launch his Bit Beast at any moment but was just waiting for the right time. Stony just laughed.

'I know what you're thinking and I wouldn't try. You're in my realm now and in this realm _I've_ made up the rules. Your Bit Beast will not work in here.'

Tyson scoffed.

'Impossible.'

'I assure you it isn't.'

'We'll see…'

Tyson's eyes were now rooted on the duelling Beyblades, each spinning gracefully around the other, one occasionally tickling the other to gain a sense of its power before going in for the kill. When they were heading straight for each other Tyson knew it was time to act.

'Dragoon! Attack!'

There was a flash of light from Tyson's Beyblade but then a puff of smoke. Tyson watched with shock as both of the 'blades emerged from the clearing clouds with no sign of Dragoon. Tyson just let them spin around the room as he came to terms with this revelation.

'See? You should listen more to other people Tyson. Independence doesn't get you anywhere!'

Tyson was now growing weary of this situation and felt events needed to be taken in hand and dealt with. He stomped across the room, flexing his muscles, watching as Stony walked towards him at the same time, each step taking in unison. Tyson raised an arm to prevent a punch from Stony, using his free hand to deliver a punch to Stony's stomach but he had been ready and launched a counterattack on Tyson's neck which pushed Tyson off balance and he stumbled backward, narrowly missing standing on his own Beyblade.

'You want a display of strength? You are wanting us to behave as if we have proud peacocks displaying our fantastic tails? Well I can show you what I possess that will show you I mean business.'

Tyson was just staring at Stony when he heard a click. He looked warily over his shoulder to see Stony's Beyblade heading for him. But now it was different; poking out of each of the four corners was a shiny razor blade, reflecting the look of panic in Tyson's face. He just managed to jump out of its way as it went spinning underneath him, though it still managed to catch his trainer, ripping a considerably hole in the side and going through to Tyson's foot. Drops of blood were now decorating the floor of the room, dots of colour in an otherwise bland environment.

'May I introduce my Beyblade. Emphasis on the _blade_!'

Stony laughed as he stood out of the way – though this was largely fruitless in the confined and circular room – and watched Tyson dancing around the Beyblade that seemed less interested in the other 'blade and more in Tyson. Back it would come from another attack to attack Tyson once more; soon Tyson's legs began to ache with all the movement and he realised action needed to be taken before the Beyblade succeeded in ripping into him.

By studying the movement of the Beyblade as it span around and above Tyson, he found a pattern. Taking a deep breath and swallowing hard, Tyson dropped hard to the floor as the Beyblade passed and picked it up in his hand, the razor cutting into the flesh of his fingers. As soon as he picked it up he threw it, throwing it in the direction of Stony. Stony wasn't expecting this. It spun right at him and hit his chest, plunging through his ribs and imbedding in the wall behind.

Tyson got to his feet and inspected his hand. Even though his encounter with the Beyblade had been less than a second it had already done considerable damage, blood spurting out of numerous cuts on his hand. Tyson quickly ripped off his shirt and made a makeshift bandage which he wrapped around his hand to try and stem the flow of blood. It was still painful and it was with great courage and effort that Tyson managed to cross the room to where Stony was. On the way Tyson picked up his own Beyblade which did not administer any injuries. He slipped it into his trouser pocket and spoke to Stony.

'I'm sorry it had to end like this.'

'I bet you are.'

Stony's words were punctuated with grunts of pain as he looked down to see a razor from his own Beyblade that stuck in his chest. He watched as blood flowed onto the floor and onto his beautiful suit. Strangely he still looked smart.

Stony's eyesight was becoming hazy.

'Now how do I get out of here.'

'Why should I tell you?'

'Because just like Kenny, even when you'd managed to turn him into something evil, there's that little bit of humanity deep down. You should know that people aren't either good or bad. There's shades of grey in everyone. Now how do I get out.'

Stony snorted.

'Here.'

He flicked his hand in a nonchalant way and the door through which he had entered previously opened from what seemed like no indentation.

'Thank you,' Tyson said, nodding. 'I'm sorry.'

'Me too.'

'It didn't have to end like this, you know.'

'It did.'

Tyson shook his head.

'We'll have to disagree on that point.'

Tyson began to walk away towards the door when Stony spoke for the final time.

'I will have the last laugh Tyson. Just remember one name. Vladislav.'

Tyson shrugged his shoulders dismissing the last insane words of the dying man.

With a few more heavy breaths Stony was gone, his body no longer taking the weight and giving into nature, his head dropping and his arms falling limp. Tyson turned to see this, sighed and walked away once more, stepping through the door. As he did his world began to spin into a vast palette of multicolour that encompassed him totally. The next thing Tyson knew was that he was lying on the floor of his Dojo, out of breath and his hand still pulsing with pain.

Tyson got to his feet, stumbled over to his front door and opened it, passing out onto the busy street with locals on their way to work or to shops. The bright sunshine above glared down on him and made him smile. He didn't have long to take in the sight of the beautiful morning in which all the trees seemed alive with birds and everyone around had a reason to be happy; Kenny came bounding up to him with his laptop.

'Alright Tyson!' he said jovially, looking at Tyson through his thick bottle-lens glasses. He noticed his hand. 'What did you do to your hand? And – erm – where's your shirt?'

'Oh that,' Tyson said, adjusting his makeshift bandage and realising with embarrassment that he had opened the door without a shirt. 'It was just a little accident. Come in, and I'll get properly dressed.'

The day meandered by without anything major happening but Tyson wasn't bored. In fact with everything that had happened over the last few days he was glad to be at a loss for things to do. In the afternoon Kai, Max and Ray had turned up to join him and Kenny in a game of Beyblade, though Tyson sat out for most of it due to his hand, which had now been properly treated and bandaged by his grandfather, who incidentally didn't believe his grandson's excuse of cutting it on a knife while cooking.

'Cooking?' he said. 'Cooking! You don't even know how to toast some bread!'

The afternoon soon drifted on and as the sun slowly made its way below the horizon Tyson said his goodbyes to his friends and retired to bed with a sandwich and a glass of apple juice which he left on the floor as he lay thinking on bed.

_They're all oblivious to everything that's happened – which is a good thing – but I just wish there was someone I could talk to about it. But there's no one. I've erased the events completely._

_Sitting there watching Kenny talking to Dizzi brought it all back. There he is with his friend when I had more with her. Much more. It's just not fair. I saved Kenny's life and stopped Kai from injury but what have I got in return? Nothing. I only wanted to spend time with Dizzi. To feel love with someone. Is that too much to ask?_

Tyson sighed and got to his feet, walking over to the window of his bedroom, staring out over the houses and thinking; thinking mostly about Dizzi and how she made – and was still making him – feel. His eyes cast a routine glance over the street and that's when he saw her. Dizzi's words came back to him.

Though he was dressed in his pyjamas and the night was cold outside, Tyson didn't care. He bolted down his stairs, into the main room and out of the front door, bumping into her as he dashed onto the street with only a pair of small slippers separating his feet from the cold ground. Saki was taken by surprise.

'Tyson!' she exclaimed, taking a few seconds to assess his appearance. 'What _are_ you dong out here?'

'I had to see you.'

'You… had to see me?'

The usually verbose Saki had clammed up. She fiddled nervously with the tips of her hair.

'Yes. I had to ask you something.'

'What?'

'Would you like to – erm – come with me to the park tomorrow, maybe have a picnic or something. I'd love it if you could come.'

Saki giggled.

'I'd love to.'

Tyson smiled and exhaled, invigorated that she'd said yes. He shuffled nervously as Saki smiled back at him waiting for him to say something else.

'So, erm, I'll see you tomorrow then,' Tyson said nervously, taking a few steps backwards towards his house and warmth.

'You will. About 2?'

'Yes.'

Saki took a few steps towards Tyson and smiled, her rosy cheeks from the cold rising as she smiled.

'Night Tyson.'

As she said the words she planted a light kiss on Tyson's lips before walking off down the street to her own house. Tyson just stood there for thirty seconds as he watched Saki walk off into the blackness of the night. He was only disturbed from his chain of thought by his grandfather appearing behind him.

'Tyson, would you close that door. It's freezing. And what on earth are you doing out here at this time in your pyjamas.'

Tyson just smiled and sighed happily.

'Nothing, grandfather, nothing…'


	14. Epilogue

Epilogue

The next day was beautifully sunny. There was hardly a cloud in the sky and any that were there were wispy and unsubstantial. Tyson and Saki were sat in the shadow of a large oak tree, sitting on a woollen rug lent to them by Tyson's grandfather. A large traditional wooden basket was at the other end containing all manner of different foods. Already some of the items had spilled out onto the rug and onto plates from which Tyson and Saki were picking at. By mid-afternoon they had finished eating and instead were sat back next to each other, resting with their backs against the tree.

Tyson slipped his arm around the shoulders of Saki who nestled up with Tyson, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heart beating which had becoming considerably more regular as they touched. Tyson smiled and closed his eyes, thinking about everything that had happened over the last few weeks – which he considered had never actually happened in the reality he was now experiencing – and realised that they had been worth it.

_I might have lost Dizzi but she was right. Kenny needs her and that's where she should be. I have Saki now and I realise now that I'm hurting no one to achieve my happiness. This is how I should have approached things. I was blind to what was right in front of my eyes._

Tyson stopped thinking about things for the moment, instead reaching down for a sausage roll and gently nibbling at the edges. He watched Saki's chest rising and falling, entranced by its rhythmic movement. Tyson smiled and bent his head slightly to kiss Saki on the forehead.

It seemed that the Opal Beyblades hadn't been a disaster after all. The only regret Tyson could feel was that for years he hadn't realised Saki's feelings for him and wished he'd picked up on them much earlier.

_If only I could go back in time and show Saki her feelings were reciprocated earlier._

Tyson thought about the fifth Opal Beyblade now buried below the pair in the shadow of the tree and smiled.

_I wonder…_

* * *

And that's the end of the story at last. I must say I'm surprised by how much I've enjoyed writing my first ever fan-fic story but I can't end without thanking friend Sam for her help with Beyblade. I must confess that before starting writing this I knew nothing about Beyblade until I watched a few episodes and researched into it so it's Sam I have to thank for filling me in with character details and traits so I could make a realistic Beyblade story. Oh, and for pointing out I kept calling Kenny 'Kevin' in one chapter for some weird reason!

I hope you've enjoyed reading it and look on the next option to see a short trailer for my next Beyblade story coming just before Christmas!


	15. Trailer

Unexpected Gifts – Trailer

_We're having reports of Beybladers all over the country receiving unexpected gifts this Christmas of Beyblades. Several have been handed into police but nothing suspicious about them has been found. They seemed to be linked to an organisation called 'The True Champions'._

"What's the matter Kenny?"

"It's Tyson and Saki. They've vanished. There's something really weird going on around here, Ray."

"What do you mean?"

"Can't you see it? Beybladers all over the world behaving strangely. I don't understand it. Even Dizzi can't work out what's happening."

"Whatever it is, it's affected Kai too."

_We are here to bring an end to your stupid championships. From now on we will only accept the best players to compete. And you are the best players, but sadly not in your current form._

"I think I've worked out what's wrong with Kai."

"What?"

"There's more than one of him."

"How many?"

"Hundreds."

_The time is upon us men. We have our army. We have the antennae in place. It begins… now…_

_Unexpected Gifts… _coming soon…


End file.
